In Death's Best Interests: A Guild's Protector
by Tendencies' Wrath
Summary: Death is impartial. It never takes part in people's conflicts or quarrels. But Death is not supposed to be human. That sole fact changes the equation completely. He got there through a strange anomaly and now, Ichigo Kurosaki, finds himself in Earthland; watching over a rambunctious organization called Fairy Tail and its reckless members. Team Natsu being his main frustration.
1. A Guild's Protector

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or Bleach… or any of its respective characters; they belong to the one and only Hiro Mashima, and the magnificent bastard Tite Kubo. Or their respective copyright owners.  
**

**I do own the idea for the fic though.**

* * *

**In Death's Best Interests**

**Part 1: A Guild's Protector.**

_(A I.-.-.I Kuroyagi I.-.-.I original fan-fiction story.)_

* * *

"_Why am I here, Getaboushi?" Ichigo groaned in frustration, not liking the shopkeeper's secrecy when he was involved in his plans. Whatever they were, they always spelled trouble for the young man. But this time it seemed serious, not many times was a plan from Urahara Kisuke approved by the Head Captain himself._

_Now, they were in Soul Society, in the Court of Pure Souls, walking calmly towards the captain's meeting room located in the First Division barracks, taking their time on purpose as the blond man wanted to talk a few things over with his former student._

"_Ah~ Kurosaki-san, you see," He started cheerfully, using his fan to cool himself and hide his amused smile. "I was doing some research with Captain Kurotsuchi in the Dangai," Ichigo had a bad feeling already when the second mad scientist he knew was added to the equation. "And we found out there's…" His grey eyes glinted at the thought of how to say it. "…an anomaly there that has a signature similar to the Soul Reaper's Senkaimon and the Arrancar's Garganta… but we don't know to where it leads."_

"_Uh? Didn't you send one of your bug-scouts there?" The substitute asked slightly surprised._

"_Don't be silly, Kurosaki-san~!" He stopped and turned around with a big smile, laughing mockingly. "Of course! We sent many of them!" His cheerfulness dropped completely, his expression being the one of a calculating person. "But none of them came back, not even a weak signal to tell us if they reached the other side or not, and what their findings were if they had any."_

"_...W-wait!" Ichigo yelled in shock after the thoughts were processed properly. "You're going to send me! Aren't you?!"_

"_So quick as always~! Good!" Kisuke restarted his walk, now happy again._

"_W-wait a minute, you damn asshole!" The substitute lunged at the blond, both falling on the ground with a vexed Ichigo pulling at the sides of the shopkeeper's face. "You think I'm some kind of lab rat or something?!"_

_20 minutes later of torture, poor excuses, more torture, and a less than clear explanation._

"_This new dimension should be harmless, Kurosaki-san, you don't have to worry about anything." The heavily bruised scientist said after getting his life beaten out of him, rubbing his sore cheek, he wobbly led the way again. "I trust you will find the way to come out of any situation unscathed if there's any trouble."_

"_Tch, it'd be better if there's no trouble at all." He muttered quietly in response, following him until they both reached the doors to the captain's meeting room. Being that the summoning was for Ichigo alone, Urahara went inside through another gate, standing in position with the rest of the captains for the entrance of the Substitute Soul Reaper of Karakura._

"_Kurosaki Ichigo," A gruff voice called from the inside, making the man stand straight in front of the now opening double doors holding the First Division's symbol. "You may enter, now."_

* * *

"Elfman! Stop!" The cry of the eldest sister echoed in the rocky valley. She was running in between stone formations dodging the restless strikes of her out of control brother, buying time for her youngest sister. Lisanna ran down to the village that hired them to start an evacuation in case things went down for the wizards. "Snap out of it!"

"Tch…" And Ichigo? He was watching the whole deal from afar, with one hand clenched bloodily around Zangetsu's hilt and the other inside his pocket. The three siblings reminded him of his own family, who were now far away in another place, and the closeness the three had. That's why it hurt him to see this, one of them threatening to kill the others just for a bad decision. Without any control of its actions. It painfully reminded him of himself and his Inner Hollow.

He would have jumped down from his position the moment he saw everything start, but, those were the disadvantages of having an ethereal body; you cannot do anything to change the occurrences in the Living's Realm.

"Mira!" The Soul Reaper saw the youngest of them appear in the form of a bird. He was certain she was successful in warning the villagers. Lisanna landed close to her sister, watching carefully at the rampaging beast close by. Both she and her sister were exhausted. Nonetheless, they took defensive positions to fend off their brother until he could take control of his new form. "Is he… still fighting?

Ichigo heard them attentively. The only way for Elfman to stop was by a fight within; he had to defeat the soul of the beast he tried to take over with his own, while someone contains his onslaught from the outside.

'If it's a souls' matter…' He opened the rift to the Bridge, and without an inch of surprise, he found the guy and the beast fighting there for dominance. One could tell without being an expert that Elfman was on the loser's side by now. Ichigo flash stepped in between the fighters, bringing his sword upwards to stop a blow that might have finished off the young Strauss. He didn't flinch; the power behind the punch was lower than his. He only narrowed his eyes at the beast, uncaring of the shocked human behind him. "What's this? You think you're powerful by picking fights with people weaker than you?

"Step aside, human! I have no time for the likes of you!" The beast growled in anger, swinging another punch that got the same result. His growl came out stronger. "Who are you?!"

"Someone you shouldn't mess with." Ichigo swung his sword forward, pushing the fist and beast a few metres away with ease. There was a deathly blue glow in his eyes when he felt something change in the Living's Realm and the Bridge at the same time. Someone was dying. He pointed a finger to the raging beast, a small quantity of his energy gathering at the tip. "Bakudo #1. Sai."

The beast's arms went behind its back, tied tightly to each other and restricting its movements. It growled a few more times, trying hard to break its bindings before disappearing. Ichigo deduced it went into Elfman's consciousness to wait in a dormant state until it was called again. He hoped that by then, the Strauss' only guy would be able to dominate the beast and take over it completely.

"W-what did you do?" Elfman, who found the strength to talk, questioned the man before him. The black clothed man defeated the beast without breaking a sweat while he had troubles from the start; it was surprising on many levels.

"That's not important now," Ichigo told him sternly, swinging his sword in the space in front of him to open a rift. He motioned for the guy to follow the path inside. "Your sisters need you. Go."

Remembering what he was doing in the first place, Elfman nodded dumbly and ran the best he could to the rift, this one closing when he stepped inside.

"You saw everything, right?" Ichigo asked to the soul standing a few feet away from his spot and the now closed rift, looking over his shoulder to see the young Lisanna covering her mouth with both hands. "I'm sorry for not intervening sooner."

"N-no… it's okay…" She answered weakly, shaking her head a bit to get rid of the shock. "It was something he had to do by himself…"

"He wasn't ready yet," Ichigo shook his head as well, sheathing his sword in its place, its cloths wrapping around it like they should. "He wasn't strong enough to defeat that beast yet, he should have waited a bit more." He turned and faced the girl, walking towards her with short steps to avoid startling her. "You know where you are, don't you?"

The girl nodded slowly. She noticed her state when her eyes clouded and her sister vanished from her sight. She knew that no one would be able to survive a strike like the one she received, without any try to cover oneself, it was obvious.

She was dead.

"No, you're not." Ichigo called her attention from her thoughts, shaking his head again when he caught up to what she was thinking. "But you will be soon, if you don't receive treatment."

"H-how do you know so much? Who are you?" Lisanna asked the man, fear gathering at the pit of her stomach when she imagined who this man in black garments could be.

"I know because I experienced the same in the past," Ichigo answered her nonchalantly, cleaning his right ear with his little finger. The growls of the beast numbed his hearing a bit. "I'm a Soul Reaper." He pointed to the sword resting on his back. "I cleanse souls and send them to the Afterlife."

"…" Lisanna was going to answer him but… suddenly, without warning or Ichigo's knowledge, she disappeared.

'Where did she go?' He questioned inwardly, searching in the Bridge for her presence, not finding it anywhere close or beyond. He returned to the Living's Realm to hear Mirajane telling Elfman that their sister vanished in a flurry of particles, both believing it was a possible way for wizards to die. And so, they let it slide… but Ichigo didn't.

He never saw a wizard dying like that. Souls went to the Bridge and their empty bodies remained where they last were.

'This is strange…' He concluded, leaving the matter for another time. He had more things to do at the moment than following a wild goose chase… like ensuring that what happened today, didn't repeat again.

* * *

"_Kurosaki Ichigo," Head Captain Yamamoto started, his voice booming inside the meeting room and getting the full attention of the addressed man. "You have been summoned here for matters concerning Soul Society and a threat that remains yet unknown."_

"_I've been told that…" Ichigo whispered dangerously, sending a death glare towards the grinning blond in one corner of the room._

"_Captain Kurotsuchi and former Captain Urahara found an anomaly in the depths of the Dangai, of which we have no records and we want to investigate." He continued, despite the small glares sent here and there. "We would normally send a Soul Reaper belonging to one of the 13 Court Guard Divisions, but we want to avoid such foolishness, for this matter calls for specialized attention, someone with levels reaching or having those of a Captain should be the one to investigate."_

"_And I'm here because…?" 'I'm not a Captain to begin with, gramps…'_

"_The 13 Divisions cannot lose a Captain to this anomaly," Komamura explained. "Chaos would erupt in the Divisions if a Captain is lost so selflessly. It took us a lot to return to stability after Aizen's betrayal."_

"_Not to mention what could happen if our incursion on the other side is misunderstood as a military move," Soi Fon grimly added. "If a Captain finds trouble on the other side and it is related to the 13 Court Guard Divisions, it will start another conflict."_

"_And that's something we are not looking forward to, Kurosaki-kun." Kyoraku told sternly, reminding the kid of the fierceness of the last war and how everyone was against facing something alike once more._

"_Another matter would be the uncertainty of what could be found in the other side," Hitsugaya gave another reason that the others didn't mention. "We need someone that excels in adapting quickly, even under pressure, and that's not something every Captain or Soul Reaper is capable of."_

"_A quality in which you excel the most, Ichigo-kun." Ukitake smiled at the substitute, seeing him smile in return for the small praise._

"_We decided, by listening to these reasons, that sending someone with low relation to the 13 Court Guard Divisions is the best course of action." Yamamoto talked again, this time sounding a bit apologetic. Keyword: a bit. His words reminded Ichigo that he was not part of the organization and his standing as a simple human substitute for a Soul Reaper. "Still, we need someone with power to represent us if we don't find any threats on the other side."_

"…_uh?" Ichigo tilted his head to a side, having lost the trail of the conversation. All that high and mighty way of talking never really sunk in his head._

"_What we are trying to say, Kurosaki-san," Unohana translated for him, seeing his struggle. "You will now be a Soul Reaper, with full responsibilities and loyalties towards Soul Society in its entirety."_

"_Huh?!"_

"_That caught you with your pants down, huh, Ichigo?" Hirako laughed at the boy's astonished face, some others following his lead in small quiet laughs._

"_From now on, you will be trained to be a Soul Reaper that can represent our organization in this new dimension," Yamamoto's voice boomed inside the room again, bringing everyone to silence and signaling that the meeting was reaching an end. "A proud Soul Reaper from the 13 Court Guard Divisions."_

* * *

"So, I'm dead." Makarov concluded simply with his eyes close, sitting crossed legged in the endless ocean. His arms folded and his head lowered in thinking, trying his best to ignore the man standing in front of him.

"No, you're not," Ichigo informed him, seeing his head jerk back up in surprise. "You're only comatose, you lost a lot of your power… until your body recovers your soul is stuck here."

It was true; he lost most of his magic after that surprise attack in Phantom Lord's headquarters.

"R-really now?" The old man started to wonder the possibilities of haunting some hot springs now that he was a ghost, but he was not an idiot, he heard the part saying he was stuck on that endless void until his body was ready to receive him again. Makarov let out a long sigh, looking at the patiently waiting man in front of him. Ichigo had all the time in the world, so he let the Master sort out his thoughts as much as he wanted. "Who are you, boy? I never saw you in my previous times in this place."

"Oh, about that," Ichigo scratched his cheek, remembering this was the first time he ever talked with the Master of the guild he was watching over. "I'm a Soul Reaper, I watch over souls in this world."

"…" Makarov's words were lost in the blankness of his mind when he heard who the man was. "R-r-r-r-reaper?!" He bowed down repeatedly. "I-I-I'm sorry for addressing you so informally, Reaper-sama!"

"Don't be formal, gramps, I'm not older than you…" His words shocked the man to the core. Again.

"N-not older than me? How old are you?"

"Uh? Well… when I came here, I was 21," He counted the years in his mind, looking up in wonder. He didn't age a single bit ever since he arrived so it was hard to keep track, even if he wandered through the Realm of the Living continuously. "So now I should be 28? Tch! I don't know! Each day here is so long that's a pain to remember!"

"21… 28…" Makarov repeated in some sort of daze. He could not believe it; Death, the guardian of the paths to the Afterlife, younger than him?! "Y-you must be trying to joke with this poor old man… aren't you?"

He was met with silence and a blank stare as an answer.

"You're serious?!" Ichigo nodded, covering his ears from the loud shout.

"Of course I'm serious! I don't lie!" Ichigo yelled back, feeling annoyed by the lack of trust. He never told people his age, and this was one of his reasons, they wouldn't be able to believe it. No matter the age or wisdom. For these people, Death should be as old as time itself. And that was true, but not in this case. "Besides! What's wrong with me being young?! You think I don't cut it for the job or something?!"

"No no no no! P-please! I didn't mean anything with it!" Makarov blabbered nervously, not wanting to have Death's anger over him. "It is just… odd… for someone so young to be on such a high role."

"…" Ichigo stared at the man quietly, his narrowing eyes making the old Master sweat bullets in nervousness, until the Soul Reaper sighed and shook his head, rubbing his head with a hand to lower his frustration. "I know what you mean, gramps, but there's no other to take the job…" He looked at the bottom of the ocean with sadness, imagining the many faces he had not seen for years. "…I'm the only one here, the only one for this job."

The Guild Master didn't fail to notice the depressed tone in the man's voice.

"I'm the only Soul Reaper in this world," Ichigo continued, sticking his chest out and hitting it with one his hands to act coolly despite his obvious sadness. "I'm the only one for this job."

Makarov noticed then, he wasn't lying about his young age. 'Such a heavy burden… placed upon such unprepared shoulders…' Nodding slowly, the old man sat on the floor again, trying to change the topic but not before saying something more. "I will believe you then, if you're the only one for the job, I can only wish you the best of luck."

"..." Ichigo stared again before letting a smile creep up to his face. "Thanks, old man, you might not believe it but that means a lot…"

"I know," He turned his gaze to the surroundings; he could change the topic now to something else. "How do you work here? Do you sense the souls when they come?"

"Yes, I was trained for that." Ichigo answered, sitting as well. "I can't do much if I fail to notice where the souls are in this place, so I was trained to do that, the faster I get it done, the faster those souls can carry on."

"Carry on?"

"Yes, they don't go to a Heaven or Hell in here…" Ichigo tried his best to phrase it. "Souls see their pasts, present and futures when they die… a sort of last reprieve before their souls come here, and they remain here until they believe they are ready to return."

"Return where?"

"To the Realm of the Living," Ichigo smiled again, it was a relief when he found out the workings of that world. "Souls linger in this Bridge until they are ready to be reborn in the Living's Realm."

That saved him from organizing a new Soul Society there.

"I… see."

"Yeah, when I arrived, I saw that many lingered in this place, waiting for either Heaven or Hell," He pointed to the sword on his back. "I only accelerate the process. I talk with them, make them see what's keeping them back and later send them to their new life… or Afterlife; however you want to call it."

"So, there's no Heaven or Hell here then?"

"Oh, there is," Ichigo pointed to the sun above and the depths below them. "There you have them…"

"But you said they don't go to Heaven or Hell here…" Makarov repeated what he heard earlier, thinking that maybe the man got his mind tangled up.

"I did?" Ichigo look in surprise, he shook his head and explained again. "Sorry, what I said is true but I explained it wrong…" He motioned for the ocean around them. "Souls here are divided in 3 groups for what I got to see: Illuminates, Strays and Sinners."

He counted with his fingers, first one pointing to the sun above.

"Illuminates are souls that did more good than evil in the world, they are sent straight up after seeing the fruits of their hard work. Instead of being granted the chance to return, they are gifted with a better place."

He pointed to the depths of the ocean.

"Sinners are souls that did more evil than good, obviously, they are sent straight down after reviving their wrongdoings… in the flesh of their victims." Ichigo grimaced, having witnessed a few souls that went to the depths. It was as bad of a sight as the gates of Hell in his world. "They are not granted revival or Heaven; they are condemned to feel the pain they caused for eternity."

And lastly, he motioned to the ocean around them.

"And here is where the Strays come. They are souls that didn't do much of evil or good, they are unclassified… in this world's judgement. They remain here, waiting for the moment to be reborn again, back from the start." He pointed a finger to Makarov. "There are also souls that come here when they are on the verge of dying, they have what it's call a 'revelation' and later return… that varies with each soul, one can return a few hours after being on the verge or remain here for years… whatever, they stay here and that's the point."

"But you help them, to accelerate the process." Makarov talked again after hearing this shocking explanation of the inner workings of the Afterlife.

"That's right." Ichigo nodded and walked forward towards Makarov, feeling a thug from the Realm of the Living that was calling for the Master's soul. He brought his sword from his sheath and tapped the confused old man's forehead with the butt of it, seeing him disappear in small bright particles of light. "Sorry to cut the chat, but those guys down there need you."

"Don't worry," Makarov stood up and extended a hand forward to shake. "I'm glad to have met you, I wish you the best in your job."

"Just try to keep those guys from doing stupid things and you'll help me a lot more." Ichigo shook the hand with his own, seeing the man vanish completely before his eyes. Makarov will not remember that encounter unless he returns to the Bridge, but it was a nice chat in the end. He turned around and stared at the endlessness to his left. He sighed. "Seems like I'll have my hands full today."

* * *

"_And so!" Urahara cheered loudly to the Soul Reapers assembled around him, annoying most of them. A month passed since the naming of his former student as a full-fledged Soul Reaper, and now was the moment of truth, the moment where he'll do the duty he was ordered to fulfill. "Here you have it! The mysterious anomaly that leads to another dimension!"_

"_Cut it out, Getaboushi!" Ichigo yelled first, winning over Yoruichi in kicking the weird scientist out of his annoying behavior. "Get to explaining before I get bored!"_

"_Ahaha… Kurosaki-san, always in a rush…" The blond man laughed the pain off, rubbing his sore back the best he could before straightening himself to explain. "This anomaly here is what I was looking for ever since I learned of Hueco Mundo's existence. If there was another dimension besides Soul Society and the Living World, then the existence of even more dimensions was possible-!"_

"_Urahara Kisuke," Byakuya's voice echoed coldly down the scientist's spine, expressing everyone's feelings with his seemingly calm words. "I suggest you hurry with your explanation of this anomaly."_

"_No one understands the thrill of this…" Urahara cried silently behind his fan, he shut it and pointed at the opened rift with it. "Basically, this leads to another dimension, one unknown to us. It is not Hueco Mundo, Soul Society or the Living World." His eyes darkened. Even if it was thrilling to know of a new dimension, all thrill died down when he discovered he couldn't get more information of it before sending someone there. "It's a brand new place, so different that the signals from our scouts don't have a way to reach us after crossing the gate leading there."_

_This was a wild bet._

"_Ichigo," He addressed his former student, taking off his hat, he walked forward and laid a hand on the man's shoulder. "Be careful, we don't know what you can find there or if you can return once you cross the gate."_

"_I know, Urahara-san, you told me already."_

"_I'm serious, Ichigo, you'll be on your own once you step inside." With those last words, he stepped aside and let someone else bid farewell to the orange-haired man._

"_You better watch yourself, Ichigo," Renji stepped to his side…_

"_We'll not be there to save your sorry ass…" Rukia was standing on the other, both watching the rift with caution._

"_Who said I'll need your help?" He told them dryly, not liking the idea of saying words like those as if he wasn't going to return. But he wasn't going to make a sad one either. "I'm worried about you guys needing mine!"_

"_What?!" Renji head locked him while Rukia kneed his gut, the combo surprising the former substitute. "Who needs an idiot like you?!"_

_After a good 2 on 1 wrestling match, they dusted themselves and stood straight before each other. Ichigo smiled appreciatively at them, thanking their attitude on that moment. If the parting was a sad one, his will might have crumbled before he even had crossed the rift._

_Stepping back with the rest of the farewell committee, they let the others give their own farewell._

"_Remember, Kurosaki-san, concentration is the key." Unohana said; she was the one to teach him Healing Kido. She was a kind, patient and scary teacher in Ichigo's opinion._

"_Same here, dumbass, don't go blasting your head off." Hirako snickered; he taught him Hado and Bakudo. He had the time of his lifetime at seeing the young man blowing up at each try he had or when binding himself accidentally._

"_Keep your power suppressed if you don't want to harm those around you." Hitsugaya taught him control over his Spiritual Power, but failed when trying to force Zangetsu into a sealed state._

"_Stealth when you arrive is essential; you don't know who is friend or foe." Soi Fon and Yoruichi; the ways of the Secret Mobile Corps, thing in which he excelled thanks to his speed._

"_Don't lower your guard at every feint, don't let taunts get you… you know the drill" Kensei; he polished his hand-to-hand skills, not that they needed much improvement to begin with._

"_Don't get involved unless you see it plausible, see and hear everything before taking part in a conflict." Ukitake; he taught him a thing or two about how to be a good representative of Soul Society._

"_Call us when you arrive~! I'll miss you, Kurosaki-san!" Urahara cried loudly, waving his fan in a good-bye fashion. Several groaned or shook their heads at his antics._

_Ichigo just nodded._

"_Thanks…" He turned around and faced the rift._

_It was now or never._

_He casted one final glance towards those behind him, smiling gratefully to them._

"_See you later, guys…"_

_And he stepped into the rift._

* * *

Ichigo woke up with a start, eyes darting open, mouth panting slightly.

Those damned memories were haunting his dreams again.

Bringing a hand to his face, he cleaned the sweat from his forehead before looking around.

Again he saw the endless ocean in the middle of nowhere, in which he could look up and find the bright sun on the surface, look down and see the blackness of the depths below while he stood in between the two.

It reminded him of the state in which his soul was in when despair was consuming him, just before the last fight against Aizen several years ago. But this time it was different. This wasn't his inner world…

…but something else entirely.

'I wish I could return…' He thought grimly, running a hand through his short spiky hair, the feeling of it against his skin telling him that he wasn't dreaming, that he was still 'alive' in some way. Straightening his posture in the ocean, he looked left and right, stretched a bit and started to explore the space again, as he did every day ever since he set that objective for himself.

Looking for missing souls in this Bridge was his duty. And as a Soul Reaper, he was going to send them to the Afterlife before they turned to something worse than wandering souls.

Even if something like that never happened ever since he arrived.

"And your name is…?" He asked eyeing the guy floating before him, this one wearing a pair of torn pants, a sash around his waist, an eye patch and turban, there was also a metal jaw hanging from the sides of his mouth that gave him a robotic look in his opinion. He didn't look older than him but his eyes told a different story.

"Simon." The man answered slightly surprised to see someone there and the landscape around him, nothing but water was what his eye could see. "Who are you? Where am I?"

"…" Ichigo stared at the man, quirking an eyebrow in wonder. For what he could tell, the man already knew who he was and where they were at the moment… did he want a confirmation of his fears? Shrugging, he motioned with his hand to the surrounding ocean, "I don't clearly know where we are… but it is a bridge to the Afterlife," the hand rested on his chest. "And I'm a Soul Reaper."

"Soul Reaper?" Simon asked quietly, receiving a nod.

"That's right, you're dead." He told him plainly, believing he could discard the safe approach since the man knew of his state. But when the Simon's eye widened, Ichigo immediately regretted telling the news so quickly and tactlessly. "W-what? Don't tell me you didn't know."

"N-no… I knew," Simon found it hard to talk. Then, those visions from his past, his present and how the future will go without him was a sign that he was dead? He should have seen it coming. No one ever survived Gerard's Altair and he wasn't going to be an exception. "I… just find it hard to believe."

"I get you," Ichigo nodded sympathetically. A bit calmed after his rookie's mistake. "But this's how things are…"

"How much time do I have left?"

"Time?" The Soul Reaper stared at the man with confusion. No one ever asked him that. 'And here I thought he was going to ask me to send him back…' "You have all the time you want, but if you want to move on to the Afterlife…" He rested a hand on his sword. '…does he know that his body is in no condition of taking his soul back?' "…tell me and I'll make it faster."

Simon thought about it for a second, his memories haunting his mind again, the visions wanting to replay again around him. He shook them off, not wanting to see them ever again. It was like a bad movie. It was enough. He saw what he needed to see, now was the time for a fresh start… a new life with new chances. He nodded in the end.

"Do it."

After cleansing the soul of the man, Ichigo wandered a bit more, feeling already annoyed for not finding anything more than the normal souls that didn't want to leave the Living's plane in peaceful terms. He changed his course to his main concern in that world.

'Those idiots will surely give me some work to do…' He thought sourly, an eye already twitching when he felt a presence in the spot where the last place in which those guys were and the Bridge, connected. Where he found that man of turban and metal jaw whose name he couldn't remember.

Hurrying in his steps, Ichigo noticed when the scenery changed from the endless ocean to something more different and even less cheerful.

It was his first time stepping into someone's memories and possible future.

He now stood in that town where the brats resided, a rainy day over him, and several of those people standing below in front of a mighty gravestone. He grunted and narrowed his eyes, watching the whole scene of this possible future before acknowledging the presence of the spirit witnessing its own funeral from above the gathered people.

He grew tired of this woman. Just like his midget friend back in his dimension, she took everything to the extreme when it came to the people she cares about, and that never settled well with him. Not only because that gave him more jobs to do, but also because it reminded him of himself when younger. Not thinking, rushing. 'Protect' being the only word in his mind…

…reckless beyond the limits.

"Idiot," Ichigo said coldly to the scarlet-haired woman crying at the sight of her own funeral and grieving friends, the woman slowly looking up, withdrawing her hands from her face to see him with some shock. She was not expecting someone else to be there. Besides, the guy didn't look familiar to her. "You weren't supposed to die today."

"W-who are you?" Erza Scarlet asked in between muffled sobs, her eyes taking note of the black clothes worn by the orange-haired man and the cleaver-like sword hanging on his back.

It was her first time seeing him. He never got to her in time to talk and send her back to the Living's Realm by himself.

Her eyes widened when a thought crossed her mind. She was dead, seeing her past, present and the future related to her. If that was right, then this man in black garments was... "Y-you... are you the Reaper?"

The man did a double take at the question, staring in wonder for a bit before snorting loudly. He waved a hand and shook his head many times to dispel her worries and fear, straightening himself to speak. "Yes and no. I'm a 'Reaper' but not the one that 'harvests' souls," His eyes hardened, his pride as a Soul Reaper kicking in. "I'm the one that 'guides' souls to the Afterlife."

Erza set her mind into thinking again, coming up with a new thought. "You're an angel then..."

The man groaned loudly at the second failed try, shaking his head in annoyance this time. "Negative, again, I'm a 'Soul Reaper'!" He yelled with a fist on his stuck out chest. "Angels don't do this job..." He tried to explain, half lying. "…they are busy with other stuff."

After all, there is a 'Hell' and 'Demons' in his world.

He never saw an Angel in all his time as a Soul Reaper, but there's a possibility that 'Heaven' exists as well... even if in his mind Soul Society was the closest thing to Heaven he ever saw.

"I... see..." Erza muttered quietly, the vision of her funeral vanishing and letting her float on a seemingly endless and empty ocean again. A bright sun shone over what looked like the surface, not blinding her, it allowed her to see her surroundings. A few metres to her right, the orange-haired man floated with his hands resting behind his head, his eyes looking at the sun above the endless sea. She noticed that now he had a reproachful face on him, the scowl he had when initially presenting himself to her still in place and slightly more pronounced than before. "What is this place?"

"Truthfully, I don't know for sure," His eyes wandered around for a bit, feeling the same aura on that place as the one in the tunnel that connects the realms in his dimension. That same tunnel being the one to bring him to this new dimension in which he now was. "It's a space between the world of the Living and the Afterlife... a bridge..."

Ichigo sighed with his eyes closed; it was tiring to be explaining the workings of that place to every soul he finds.

"You're not dead yet... just... in the way..." He carefully explained to her, trying to be somewhat positive, he kept a cautious approach in delivering the news after the awkward situation with the turban guy. Not many like the idea of being dead. But then, he remembered, his reason for meeting her there when he had the chance. His reproachful expression returned and it was directed at her. She flinched at the intensity in his brown eyes.

"And that's what I wanted to talk with you!" He shifted in his position, pointing an accusing finger at her. "Why are you so eager to die every goddamn time?!" He rested his hands on his waist, his scowl now a frown. "I know you care a lot about them and all, but throwing yourself away isn't the answer to everything, you know?!"

"Y-you don't understand…!" Erza tried to argue but his narrowing eyes shut her down before anything more could come out her mouth.

"I have followed your adventures enough to understand perfectly, and believe me," His eyes flickered with old memories. "I did my fair share of stupidity to know that no one wants their friends to die for them!" The Soul Reaper bellowed to the Knight, half his power leaking out of control and pressuring the woman before it came back into control. "You must stop. No one is happy if someone has to die to save them!" The man concluded in one final shout, calming down after it to look at the frightened woman with his normal scowl. "Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

Erza took a moment to recompose herself and collect her jumbling thoughts. What she heard. This man has been watching over her for a long time to understand what she went through and how he came to these conclusions he was yelling now to her. She felt immensely ashamed. Death itself was telling her the same thing her friends had been trying to make her understand for the past years, in a less than subtle way, of course, but in a way she could comprehend at last.

And what truly shamed her; she had to die for him to tell her about the wrong in her actions.

She opened her mouth after the long silence, breathing out the right words this time.

"I… I do." She gave him a small nod and grateful smile, appreciating his concern in things that –in her opinion- were not supposed to be of Death's interests. "I must not die for my friends… I must live for them…"

Ichigo threw his arms up in the air, feeling all anxiety vanishing with her words.

"Now she gets it!" He laughed at his own outburst, ignoring her visible embarrassment. He laughed at how much it took him to make the Knight realize the error of her ways. But now she truly grasped the meaning of fighting to protect one's friends. "And just in time also!" He smiled while drawing his sword from his back, the cloth surrounding it untangling itself to let the edge of the blade shine with the sun's light. He nodded to himself and moved forward, completely startling her with his actions.

"W-what are you doing?!" Erza cried in slight fear, knowing she didn't have a way to defend herself at the moment. She did her best to float in the opposite direction, away from the approaching Soul Reaper who was now grinning in amusement.

"Relax! Geez!" Ichigo stopped halfway, rolling his eyes in annoyance, how many times was he misinterpreted in these situations? He lost the count after fifty-something. "I'm not going to send you to 'Heaven' just yet…" He gave her a reassuring smirk. "…there are many things for you to do before that."

Restarting his movements, he continued until he was standing in front of the still distrusting woman.

He raised his sword and rested the dull side of the blade on his shoulder, his smirk turning to a smile when he felt her soul being called to the Realm of the Living by that annoying teammate of hers. "There's someone besides me who wants you alive…"

"Uh?" She looked at the man's eyes with confusion, not feeling her soul being called as he was able to feel.

"Not many can cheat 'Death', you know? But this guy is a pain… so I'll let him win this time." With a quick movement, he tapped her forehead with the butt of his sword, leaving a bright mark on the spot and a more confused woman behind. "Time to go back."

"T-to go back…? W-where…?" She repeated slowly, noticing small particles of light floating around her. She looked down to see her legs and feet starting to disappear and turn into those same particles that she initially saw. Her eyes widened, her head jerked back up to look at the orange-haired man with obvious fear. "W-where am I going?!"

"Home." He smiled fondly, snorting quietly at her dumbstruck face. "With your friends…"

Shaking her head off of its shock, she looked down again and saw that half her body had already vanished. She was going back to her friends and guild. Her vision wouldn't come true. She was going back!

She wiped the tears falling from her left eye, smiling gratefully to the Soul Reaper.

"I… I don't know what to say…" Erza noticed that her shoulders where starting to disappear as well, time was running low. "I'm grateful of your kindness, Soul Reaper-san…"

She bowed her head a bit in gratitude, making the man chuckle at her politeness.

"The name's Ichigo, and be sure, Erza Scarlet, I'll watch over your guild and friends…" His smile dropped. "But if you happen to come here one more time…"

He left the threat hanging in the air, hearing her gulp down at the thought of actually dying the next time.

She flinched and nodded repeatedly, not wanting to anger the man again.

"I'll be sure to follow your words to the letter… Ichigo." The man smiled at the parting words, watching her soul disappear completely, going back to its rightful place into her body and realm. To her friends and family in the guild she calls 'home'.

And so, sheathing his sword, he walked a few steps to continue his work…

…but he found another soul in his way.

Ichigo groaned loudly at what he was seeing, another soul to be cleansed. 'Dammit! Is there a parade today or something?!' He looked at the scenes flashing before this new soul he was facing, noticing instantly that they were the other side of the story he just saw from the woman he sent back recently.

"W-what is this…?" Gerard Fernandez asked in pure cluelessness, not relating himself to the events flashing around him. He had blue hair, olive eyes and a strange tattoo over his right eye. His clothes were some of the kind Ichigo had almost never seen, being the class of garments worn by experienced or veteran fighters among the wizards.

But focusing on the moment, Ichigo rushed forward when he noticed Gerard breaking down. His mind was trying to understand the meaning of these images in front of him and it was failing miserably. "What is this?!"

"H-hey! Get a grip of yourself!" The Soul Reaper held the man by the shoulders, trying to stop him from doing harm to himself.

"I-I d-didn't do any of this…!" Getting tired of the constant shaking and screaming, Ichigo let Gerard go, casting an inquisitive eye over the man's memories, he got to know what was making him so agitated.

"You were the cause of those deaths, huh?" The orange-haired man remembered when those souls came his way, all hell-bent on revenge towards this man, for they did nothing to him and he eliminated them anyway. He felt some rage after knowing this truth, but, the man here didn't acknowledge anything of that… it was like someone else forced him to do it.

An immediate resemblance of what happened between Aizen and Soul Society came to the Soul Reaper's mind, making enough of his anger vanish to give Gerard a helping hand. He couldn't change his past… but he could make sure the man changes his future. 'I can't have him here… the memories will break his soul completely if I leave him until someone calls him back.' He looked around one last time, frowning again at some of the memories. 'Shit… I don't know if I'm doing the right thing… but I can't let him suffer for something he didn't do!'

"Tell me," Ichigo started after the guy calmed down a notch, obtaining his immediate attention. "You care for her, don't you?" He pointed to the memory of that scarlet-haired woman that kept on repeating in his memories, and that Ichigo himself sent back to the Realm of the Living a moment prior to this meeting. The man of blue hair nodded with uncertainty. "Then atone for what you did by getting her forgiveness."

"S-she won't forgive me," The man muttered hollowly. "I did…" Ichigo grabbed him by the collar of his suit, bringing him face to face to let him see his narrowed eyes and scowl. They were 'calmly' telling him to remain quiet and listen or else.

"I'm not giving you a choice in the matter," Ichigo reached for the sword on his back, tapping the man's forehead with the butt of its hilt. "Her name is Erza…" He saw the man starting to disappear. 'Wait a sec… how many Erza's are out there?!' Thinking fast, he gave the man a clue to find her. "…her last name, you know it?"

"N-no?" He heard him say in between shivers; Gerard was unnerved at the sight of his body turning to small particles of light but managed to concentrate on the black-clothed man talking to him.

"You gave it to her, remember?" He thought back on the memories, trying his best to say the same words of that moment. "Scarlet, just like her hair, so you don't forget it."

When he said that, the man's eyes widened, another feeling that wasn't fear and cluelessness flickering in his eyes, giving them some of their original light before he left the Bridge completely. He was returning to the Realm of the Living and his comatose body while Ichigo let out a sigh, scratching the back of his head lazily with his free hand.

"_Great_, first time in days I've got to actually _talk_ with someone and the chat lasted a few minutes…" 'And it's not like I'm getting paid to be a psychiatrist or anything either…' He turned to his right, putting his sword back where it belongs after giving a vertical slash in front of him, opening a rift that excluded light from its inside. "…still…" He stepped inside, smiling faintly at the memory of these meetings he had today. "…It was nice."

The rift closed behind him.

* * *

Time passed quickly, days became weeks, weeks became months.

He continued to watch over those annoying wizards, groaning in frustration every time they fought. Strong opponents were always at their doorstep, each one stronger than the last, and all of them bent on destroying them. He lost count of how many times he had to keep the Dragon Slayer from dying, intercede before the Spirit King to help the Celestial Spirit wizard when she was at the edge, or lend some of his energy to the Ice Alchemist when he was running thin.

Luckily, the Re-quip wizard learned her lesson and she kept herself away from doing rash things… a few counted times.

But then, the other members of that guild were the same, 'All of them have a death wish…' he concluded after seeing them confront another guild of wizards, qualified as the strongest in between the evil ones. Each one of them faced their opponents to the last breath, not giving up an inch of ground, even when the situation was going to the worst possible outcome.

The Master appeared before him again; asking for the Soul Reaper's state of things ever since their last meeting.

The older Strauss came for the first time; Ichigo had the time of his lifetime when explaining how he had no control over what happened to her little sister.

The Iron Dragon Slayer wrestled with him for a good time before Ichigo got annoyed and sent him back.

The Strauss' only guy and his partner came as well; the guy having no memory of Ichigo whatsoever while the woman criticized his choice of clothing.

The Fire Dragon Slayer was a special case; Ichigo took time to explain why he should not push himself to the limits when he was fighting together with his friends.

The Knight came again; she was willing to let go this time, feeling that her role in her guild and world was over. Ichigo didn't do or say anything. He reserved himself to only frown in disappointment. He knew she was going to get her 'Revelation' and return to the fight.

Pitifully, whatever Ichigo told to the souls in the Bridge was to remain there, they would have no recollection of those talks after going back to the Living's Realm.

But he kept on watching over them, the whole time, until the Black Dragon of the Apocalypse showed up.

He stared quietly at the place where the island called Tenrou once stood, now only another portion of water in the seas of that world. He didn't feel their presences in 'The Bridge' so they were still alive…

…or turned into the epitome of any person that couldn't fulfill its wishes when alive; Hollows.

"Oh! Another spirit!" His head turned at breakneck speed to its right, seeing a small girl of blond wavy hair floating above the same sea in which he was now. She didn't look old; in fact, he bet she had the appearance of a teenager in between 12 or 15 years old.

But only that, a front to hide the truth, her soul felt as the ones from Soul Society, older than what they look.

"Who are you?" He asked trying not to sound rude. He always had a soft spot for kids, especially little girls.

"No one too special. You see, I'm just another soul lingering in this world." She said brightly, smiling to the orange-haired man, she disregarded his shocked expression at being referred to as 'another soul' and not 'The Reaper' as many called him ever since he arrived. "I should ask you, who are you? And why were you watching over the members of the guild I founded, without doing anything to help them directly?"

Of course he helped them. He was there the whole time. When the Council's ship exploded, he made sure to keep as many of its passengers alive. When the fights on the island started, he gave a portion of his power to the tree dominating the island, enough for it to protect them and keep them from reaching Death's doors completely. At least until it was uprooted and everyone lost its protecting powers.

Everyone but the Knight, who kept on fighting until she eventually won…

"Sorry to stop your line of memories…" He was brought back to the present by a young voice; the girl was now standing at eye level with him, giving him a blank stare. "…but you didn't answer my question."

"My name is Ichigo, Kurosaki Ichigo," He gave a curt nod, scratching his scalp while his senses tried to discern if this little spirit before him was a threat to him or the world. She had power, he noticed by her eyes alone. That and the fact she was a soul in the Living's Realm was enough to guarantee him that she had a power rivaling his own, if not more. "Can you tell me your name…?"

"My name is Mavis Vermillion," She said after a long pause, her smile returning full force. "Founder and First Master of Fairy Tail, now, can I ask why are you in this world?"

"U-uh?" The question caught him by surprise. Not many noticed that he wasn't from that dimension.

The Spirit King because he was the ruler of all spirits, he noticed it instantly because he never saw him in the eons he had of life.

Some other spirits around the world because they never saw a Soul Reaper in the first place.

And now this girl, called Mavis, noticed it with a single glance.

Scratch "power rivaling his own"; she was way stronger than him.

He let out a sigh, crossing his arms over his chest in a relax position. "How did you notice?"

"I'm a spirit too, and I never saw anyone like you." She started to explain, pacing around him with a thoughtful expression. "You have a great power inside you and inside that blade on your back, there's also some darker power I never felt before in the depths of your soul, wanting to break free." She stopped and looked at him in the eyes, ignoring his baffled face. She even noticed the presence of his Zanpakuto's spirit and his Inner Hollow? "Your soul, that blade and the being within you, they are linked, and they all form your soul… that's… strange."

"Strange?" He shook his head quickly, scowling deeper at this girl that seemed to know more than what she gave out. Just like that annoying shopkeeper of his dimension. "How so?"

"All the people in this world have their energy stored at the centre of their beings, some even have a second one that grants them even greater powers." Her pacing returned. "That's called 'magic' in this world, as you may know, and it is what gives wizards the fuel for their spells."

"Can you hurry, shorty?" He asked tiredly, rolling his eyes when she pouted at being mocked by her stature.

"In resume, while everyone's magic and body are separated, you," Mavis stared at him. "You are composed of magic, every bit of your being, even the garments you are wearing and the sword you are carrying on your back… that's what tipped me as odd."

"I still don't see anything wrong, shorty…" Ichigo moved from the place, reappearing in the blink of an eye atop the last spot where the island once stood, with his senses concentrating again to feel any trace from the people that disappeared just a few moments ago. '…just where the hell did they go?!'

"There it is again," Mavis appeared next to him, looking at him as if he was some class of weird specimen. "You didn't use only your power to move faster, or even stand over this very sea; you are mixing both, your power and the one around this area to do what you want."

"Yeah, yeah, if you are done with your yapping about my origin, can you help me look for those guys?" He asked slightly annoyed, he didn't like it when the spirits of that dimension started to go all curious about him, and he wasn't going to take a liking to it now. There were pressing matters at hand.

"You mean the Third and its guild?" She asked with a tilted head, snickering after she got a nod from the man. "They are fine, I assure you."

"Really, huh?" He looked at the bottoms of the sea in deep concentration, not feeling a bunch of presences but a massive one at distances not a single human could reach. She was right somehow, they were fine. Ichigo let out a sigh of relief. He would have to wait for whatever was protecting them to end and let them come out before attempting to check their state.

"They are inside one of the lost spells of my guild," Mavis started to explain, moving a few steps away from the place. "Its effects should run out in 7 years, if I'm not mistaken."

"…" Having heard enough, the Soul Reaper shoved his hands inside his pockets. "That's good."

"What are you going to do now?" She asked a bit curious, her eyes looking in the distance at the source of an ancient evil that was the reason for the fights in her guild's sacred ground.

"There are still some of those guys in that place," Ichigo told her referring to Magnolia and the guild now left without its core members. "I guess I'll look after them while the 7 years pass…"

And he disappeared in the sound of a whisper, leaving Mavis alone with her thoughts while he reflected on what happened when he arrived to that dimension.

7 years ago…

**To be continued  
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* * *

**(A/N: I still have my own personal touch with cliff-hangers, don't you think? *grins*  
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**I hope you enjoyed this "little" one-shot. I would like to thank my Beta-reader, Epic Ebi, for getting me into the world of crossovers and his assistance in making this story presentable for all of you. He did an amazing job correcting my mistakes (My many mistakes) and brainstorming with me to exploit all the possibilities that this story has. Thing that, unfortunately, I cannot put in on a single one-shot. It'll be too long for anyone to read.**

**Plus, I want to see the reactions this story gets from the readers (You guys) before attempting to write something related to a pairing or something else. I'm fairly new to crossovers after all, please, forgive that. I will give my best to present something better the next time if this gets some positive feedback.  
**

**And I'll do it in the form of one-shots with pairings involved. This is where you (The readers) enter. I have in my profile a poll to decide about which pairing should I do for the next time and also the plots to follow down below my bio. Whichever the chosen one, it'll follow right after the end of this story, but it will explain how the girl fell for Ichigo and this one later acknowledges it. Expect a few things from this particular one-shot to change in those stories; for the sake of coherence, of course.  
**

**Again. I thank Epic Ebi for presenting me the interesting side of writing crossovers, his help in the development of this story and his patient in teaching me some proper English. I really need to improve a lot. A last request, check his story "Flames of Cleansing", it's awesome in its own right. If you don't... I'll think bad of you. *sweatdrops*  
**

**See you all later.**

**A/N: Edit 10/22/12. So, the story will have a continuation. I'm working on it already and I expect it to be ready for this weekend at most. Until then, the voting will continue. After all, this story is a general one focused on Friendship and the canon of FT. The pairings will come after I finish with this and get more comfortable with the ways of writing crossovers. Please, be patient.)  
**


	2. A World's Protector

**Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or Bleach… or any of its respective characters; they belong to the one and only Hiro Mashima, and the magnificent bastard Tite Kubo.**

**I do own the idea for the fic though.**

* * *

**Previously on… "In Death's Best Interests".**

"They are inside one of the lost spells of my guild," Mavis started to explain, moving a few steps away from the place. "Its effects should run out in 7 years, if I'm not mistaken."

"…" Having heard enough, the Soul Reaper shoved his hands inside his pockets. "That's good."

"What are you going to do now?" She asked a bit curious, her eyes looking in the distance at the source of an ancient evil that was the reason for the fights in her guild's sacred ground.

"There are still some of those guys in that place," Ichigo told her referring to Magnolia and the guild now left without its core members. "I guess I'll look after them while the 7 years pass…"

And he disappeared in the sound of a whisper, leaving Mavis alone with her thoughts while he reflected on what happened when he arrived to that dimension.

7 years ago…

* * *

**In Death's Best Interests**

**Part 2: A World's Protector.**

_(A I.-.-.I Kuroyagi I.-.-.I original fan-fiction story.)_

* * *

"_Where the hell am I?" Ichigo asked out loud. He had no idea where he was, but he could tell that it was somewhere where his spirit form wasn't going to be harmed in any way. He reminisced about what happened a few minutes ago. He bid farewell to his friends and those in Soul Society, he stepped inside the rift and saw a bright flash of white before he felt a strong pull to its insides. And now, he was standing in the middle of an all too normal and seemingly harmless forest._

_This place which he was in didn't look any different from his own world._

_There were trees, grass, foliage, animals, air, a sky with stars, and a moon._

_It was dark. It was cold. And it didn't have a single trace of being touched by human hands at all._

"_Did I really go to another dimension?" He continued to wonder out loud, taking some steps forward to see if he was really in a place and not some kind of illusion. He stomped the ground a few times and found it real; he was indeed in another dimension._

'_I wonder…' He closed his eyes and concentrated on the surroundings, his inability to sense anything nearby forcing him to open them after a short moment. 'I cannot feel an inch of Spiritual Power… I must really have travelled to another world…'_

_With his initial doubts answered, he wandered the forest which he was in, walking calmly to see everything in this new environment. He saw nothing weird, nothing out of his own knowledge or new to his eyes, but he could feel the difference._

'_I should do this faster,' He thought to himself, preferring to stop talking out loud. It made him look like a crazy man. 'Let's see…'_

_Gathering Spiritual Power beneath his feet, he jumped high in the sky, noticing with some surprise that he could still use his energy to stand in the air as in his dimension. There was some kind of energy in this new world as well, otherwise, his own energy wouldn't be enough to propel him and support his body in the middle of the sky._

'_Test one… done…'Ichigo reached for the sword on his back, its wrappings falling off and letting the edge shine in anticipation. 'Test two…' He raised the sword up above his head, holding the hilt tightly with both hands and starting to gather energy in the blade. His eyes narrowed when he felt that the space around him was also adding its own energy to the strike. Like the Spirit Particles scattered all over Soul Society and Hueco Mundo, and the World of the Living in a less concentrated quantity. "Getsuga…" He slowly swung the blade down and a thick line of blue energy revealed itself on the edge of the sword. "…Tensho!"_

_The blast went out and pressed forward the direction in which it was aimed to go, disappearing a few instants before reaching the horizon. He was still able to use his Soul Cutting sword's techniques._

'_Test two, done…' Ichigo let out a sigh of relief; he will be able to defend himself in case something happens. This new world was like his own in the end, except for the lack of spiritual presences around._

'_Test three… wait a damn second… why the hell am I calling them "test" in the first place?!' He mentally scolded himself; he spent so much time with the crazy shopkeeper and his weird lectures about what to do in the new dimension that his way of thinking almost rubbed onto the young Soul Reaper. He sheathed his sword and looked around, discerning with some gratitude that the sun was already coming out. It was morning. 'So they have a sun too, huh?'_

_Deciding on a path to start his exploration, he nodded to himself and disappeared in the sound of a whisper._

_First thing to do: Find out if there were humans in this dimension or find out just who the hell was in charge of the place._

* * *

"Do you want to talk with them?" Mavis asked him with some worry. They were floating above the new building belonging to Fairy Tail, outside Magnolia, watching powerlessly at the state of things after 7 years without the most annoying group of people Ichigo ever saw.

"No," Ichigo answered her dryly, hiding his clenched fists inside his pockets. Why would he want to face those people? What could he tell them? It was not a wise decision. If he was to appear before them and explain that he was watching over them for the past 14 years, they will start asking questions regarding Tenrou Island and their lost friends. "It's best to remain like this…"

"But you know the 7 years are almost over," Mavis continued to push the matter. She didn't like to see the young man that gave so much for her beloved guild and members in pain, even if it was an unfounded kind of pain. "I can make you physical…" She saw a small reaction from him at hearing the possibility of being able to communicate with them besides the Bridge. "…so you can greet them back with me and the others."

"Are you…?" He stopped and shook his head, preferring to not get his hopes high. The conversations he had with those people were to be forever lost in the Bridge. Even if he had the chance to talk with them in the Living's Realm, there was no telling if they would be able to remember him. He looked for the sword on his back, unsheathing it to give a strong slash down at his side. The rift to the other plane opened instantly. "Forget about it."

"The spell on the island will wear out by the end of this week, Ichigo," she told him before he crossed the rift, halting his retreat and getting his attention. "If you change your mind, I'll be waiting where Tenrou previously stood."

He heard the words and gave a short nod of acknowledgement, continuing his way to the Bridge, where he went straight for something to do, something to distract his mind out of its thinking.

'Damn this…' He cursed as he cleansed a soul, sending it back to the Living's Realm so it could be reborn. 'Why would I want to talk with them? They gave me nothing but trouble! And I wasn't the best ally they could have anyway; I let that damn dragon take them out like nothing!'

He rushed to the next soul nearby, waiting a moment to let it see a bit more of its past life before moving in to do his job. 'Fuck this! I'm not going to meet them…' Returning his attention to the job at hand, he noticed with some surprise that the soul was already sent back to the Living's Realm.

"You seemed thoughtful, Kurosaki Ichigo," a cool voice addressed him, the owner of it walking a few steps to stand before the first Soul Reaper of Earthland, thus the one in charge of this world. The figure sheathed its sword and met eyes with the young man, noticing instantly what caused the lack of reaction to its previous arrival. "Is it related to the organization you are watching over?"

This other Soul Reaper came to this world shortly after the incident with the island and the black dragon, in search of the missing youngster to deliver some news and bring some new orders from the Head Captain himself.

The news: Urahara and Kurotsuchi confirmed that the anomaly opened itself every 7 years, allowing the passage of just one being at a time and nothing more. But they found a way to keep it open permanently; they only needed to work on a few more details before moving in and wait for another 7 years to pass to have the anomaly in good conditions to start the process.

The orders from the Head Captain for the Soul Reaper stationed in that dimension were: the scouting was to proceed as it was planned originally. The Soul Reaper, along with the new arrivals, will have to start the settling of a base of operations and consolidate relationships with factions of that world in preparing for the arrival of more Soul Reapers.

The final order was: Ichigo himself was to be considered the Head Captain's equal in this dimension. Being that he was here the longest and knew the place better than the Soul Reapers that would follow after him. An honorary title that meant something in Earthland but it was nothing more than a normal Captain in Soul Society.

Shocking, indeed, but a serious decision like that was not taken by the Head Captain and the 13 Court Guard Divisions alone.

The order came from the top.

"Byakuya," the orange-haired man acknowledged, shaking his head out of its shock and thoughts to talk with his working partner. "Yes, it does…" He sheathed his sword and shoved his hands in his pockets, looking around to see if there were any more souls to cleanse. He didn't feel like talking right now and least of all with the uptight nobleman. "…but why are you here? Weren't you supposed to be on the other side of this world?"

Byakuya ignored the blatant use of his first name and the fact that the man was trying to change the topic; he had a reason for meeting him again after years of scouting and taking note of whatever he found worth the reading about the new dimension which they were in. "7 years had passed, as you may know, the anomaly connecting this world to our own will open up again soon."

"So what?" Ichigo asked in sincere cluelessness. He didn't remember having to do something when the anomaly opened its gates again.

The noble shook his head in disappointment. He expected the man to adapt a bit better to his new position in this world. He was supposed to be aware of whatever was happening or was going to happen, and this piece of news was something of which he was informed of as soon as Byakuya found him.

"Urahara Kisuke promised to have the gate opened on a permanent basis for this time," the 6th Division Captain reminded him, not surprised at seeing the change of expression on the man's face as the memory dawned on him. "In one week, the rift will be opened and the dimensions will be connected permanently."

"…" Ichigo thought about that for a moment, remembering the issue that he left for later thinking at the time. So much time passed since that day and so many things happened that he forgot about it.

But now that the issue was brought up again he wondered, did he really want to have this dimension connected to his own? This world will be linked with the others then, and everything that happens in this place will affect the others… as well as the other way around. Soul Reapers will start to appear constantly, looking forward to know this new place, the insane Captain of the 12th Division among them.

Did he really want that?

Along with the army from Soul Society, Hollows will start to appear as well and that wasn't good at all. He alone was a huge change in the world, he accelerated the process and souls moved forward at a speed never seen before. But what if more like him were to be added? What if Hollows lurked from his world and Hueco Mundo to that place?

The balance of this dimension will be broken. Not changed slightly or in a way that could be later compensated. It would be completely broken. Hollows and Soul Reapers were not supposed to be on Earthland in the beginning. The whole system he witnessed that worked at its own pace in the last 14 years would shatter if the anomaly was to be kept open permanently.

Ichigo looked at the expecting nobleman in front of him; he was sure that if he told the man about his thoughts regarding the matter, he would hear a long boring lecture about how unfounded his reasoning was…

…but he could always try, right?

"I see," Byakuya said after hearing the thoughts of the young Kurosaki's mind, closing his eyes to think about his choice of words before voicing his own opinion. It seems like the young man really adapted to his role in this world, better than what he originally thought. "This of which you speak of holds truth, Kurosaki Ichigo."

Suddenly, said orange-haired man felt like he was in a bizarre dream. He blinked one, twice, thrice and then he blinked again. Here he was, in another dimension with the most unlikely of people telling him that he was right? Was Kuchiki Byakuya really _telling him_ that he was right about what he was speaking?

"This world has never suffered from the likes of Hollows or Soul Reapers. As you say, the balance in it will be broken if our presence is intensified." He gazed at the endless ocean around them, narrowing his eyes at the mere thought of imagining those vile Hollows starting to break havoc around the place. The wizards of this world were strong. Strong enough to fend them off, but, how can you fight against that which you cannot see? It was not a wise decision. "Our interference in this world will not be for the best if the gate is opened permanently."

"U-uh…" A loss of words was understandable. "T-that's what I mean."

"You have grown, Kurosaki, beyond my first expectations." Byakuya told him unemotionally, turning around to leave the place and not see the flabbergasted face of the former substitute. "Remember this talk we had, when the moment comes. Your decision will be the ultimate deciding factor to say if this world will head into a new dawn, or will continue the way it was."

And he disappeared in the sound of an almost inaudible whisper. His Flash Step was as good as always.

Ichigo stared at the previous spot where his comrade stood a few moments ago, thinking over what he left behind as parting words.

He was sure he heard them somewhere else…

…but where?

* * *

"_You." The voice boomed everywhere around the Soul Reaper, making him halt his Flash Steps completely. The space around them stopped, birds were stuck in midair, the wind couldn't be felt, the trees were bent on the last position they were in before the voice started to speak. "Who are you, spirit?"_

"_Uh?" Spirit? Ichigo was never called that before, and this huge soul towering at his side was the first to call him as such, and the first to notice him too. He slowly moved a hand to the sword resting on his back, watching through the corner of his eyes at the expecting presence. "I'm a Soul Reaper…"_

"_A Reaper? Ha! I haven't seen one of them ever since the Evil Wizard slain the last of them over more than 400 years ago." The humongous spirit commented with a dry laugh, ignoring the part where Ichigo repeated that he was a 'Soul' Reaper and not a normal Reaper. The spirit released its power and made the Soul Reaper kneel on the ground when it spotted him trying to reach for the sword on his back. "I'm not here to engage in a fight, young Reaper. I'm here to speak."_

"_W-what do you want to know?" Ichigo choked out, trying hard to fight the Spiritual Pressure on him with his own, his head moving to get a better look of the owner of such powerful pressure. He saw a huge man wearing some sort of samurai costume, with a very long white moustache, blue skin and red eyes deprived of pupils._

"_All and naught, young Reaper." The Spirit King told him, earning a confused look from the small human. "Why are you here? What made the Afterlife take so long to bring another Reaper to this world?"_

"…" _So he was still set on thinking that he was from that world? Plus, there was another Reaper before him? Ichigo decided it was best to hide his origin for now and gather as many answers as he possibly could. He was still in unknown territory, so, when the pressure was lifted off his body, he straightened and answered with the first thing that came to his mind. "I'm here to cleanse souls, nothing more; I don't know why it took the Afterlife so long to bring me here… I only know what my duty is."_

"_The system worked perfectly without a Reaper during all these centuries." The Spirit King crossed his big arms. "Your presence will help to accelerate the process, yes, but why?"_

"…_I told you, I don't know!"_

"_Watch your tone, young Reaper, and be respectful for I do not show myself lightly to every single spirit in this world." The pressure fell upon Ichigo once more. The Soul Reaper clenched his teeth and nodded weakly, feeling the pressure being lifted… a bit, he heard the spirit continuing with his rant. "If you don't know, then the workings of the system are starting to move on their own accord again. Something will happen that will need your intervention, as it was required when the system was in peril the last time."_

"_Explain, please, I don't even know where I am!"_

"_You're in Earthland, young Reaper, and your duty goes far beyond the simple task of cleansing souls." The Spirit King's presence started to vanish, as well as his corporeal body. The chat with the new Reaper was fun in his opinion, but he had other places to be at the time. "You were brought upon this world for a matter that most being wouldn't be able to understand, not even me. The workings of the system are strange and no-one knows what purpose all of this serves."_

'_Great, I'm in another world and yet again another crazy adventure follows…' Ichigo groaned and rubbed his aching head. Couldn't he get a few days of normality once in a while?_

"_I believe you're too young for the task that has been bestowed upon you, but, if the system chose you…" the Spirit King grinned, letting a few cackles escape his huge mouth much to the Soul Reaper's surprise. "…I will have faith in it, as always. Farewell, young Reaper. May we meet again another time."_

'_I certainly hope for the contrary…' Ichigo nodded and watched as the strong presence disappeared completely, letting the flow of time continue as it was before its appearance. He saved the memory of the encounter and the information he got from it in his mind and moved to continue with his exploration. This world was big, and as he witnessed, there were many things in it to know about and be careful of before actually starting to do any kind of job as a Soul Reaper._

"_He lied to you, why did you let him go?" A young man clad in a black tuxedo and wearing tinted glasses asked to the Celestial Spirit King, watching with narrowed eyes at the young orange-haired man moving from here and there, scouting the new world he was in._

"_As I said, Leo, the workings of the system are strange." The King of Spirits sat in his throne, watching at the same thing. "If the Afterlife brought him to our world, there must be a reason, and I will not interfere unless I'm proven wrong."_

"_Whatever you say," Leo turned and walked off, waving a hand in good-bye. "I'll tell the others to be watchful of that guy, just in case."_

"_Do as you wish."_

* * *

"I changed my mind." Ichigo started rather awkwardly, trying his best to avoid getting annoyed by the grinning blonde girl standing in front of him. He had to meet them, even a single time. If things with Soul Society went down after he talks with the Head Captain, he wanted the bunch from Fairy Tail to know who was guarding them during their past hardships. And let them know about what was going to happen.

But first, he needed to tell the news to the other person in Earthland that cares for that guild as much as he does.

"I understand," Mavis nodded after the explanation was over, closing her eyes to feel the presence of the other Soul Reaper her friend spoke about and that was wandering the other side of the world at the moment. "And I'll help you when the moment comes, if you need it."

"Don't, it's something I have to deal with myself," Ichigo raised his open palm and shook his head. He didn't want to get anyone from this world in the affairs concerning him and the dimension from which he came; he knew there were going to be more troubles if he let that happen. "For now, I want to talk with them once before anything happens."

"Okay, whatever you say, I'll still help you." She chuckled when he tried to convince her of doing otherwise and motioned for him to follow her. "Come, the process to make you visible for them is not easy, and it will take some time."

"Then let's be done with this, I have many things to say to those idiots."

Mavis wondered then if it really was a wise choice to give the man this chance.

The end of the week came. The Trimens went to Fairy Tail, and they let the remaining members of the now weakest guild in Fiore know there were strange activities flashing on their scanners of the ethernano, all of them coming from the previous spot where Tenrou Island once stood. This meant that there was a possibility of meeting their lost friends again, after so much time and trouble.

And so, they set sail to look for them.

Meanwhile, in the Bridge, Ichigo needed to get a few things in order before Mavis could move on with the second part of their plan.

And that was organizing the souls of those they wanted to bring back to Earthland.

"Can you all shut up already?! I'm trying to talk here!" Ichigo's voice roared in the Bridge, getting the attention of the core members of the guild and making their mouths close almost instantly…

…almost.

"Why, huh? It's not like you will say something good to us!" Natsu spat back angrily, not liking to be commanded by someone he doesn't know very well. Besides, if all of them were here, that meant they were dead. And that didn't settle well with the Dragon Slayer, not by an inch.

Still, Ichigo took his time to answer him appropriately, and his answer was a strong binding Kido constricting the boy's movements and covering his loud mouth.

"Anyone else wants to be with him?" Ichigo asked coldly to the group around him, sitting on Natsu's back to rest the edge of Zangetsu close to the boy's neck. All color drained from the pink-hair's face and many nodded dumbly at the Soul Reaper's question, not wanting to face the anger of the ruler of this plane. He let out a tired sigh, gazing at the crowd one by one until he met eyes with the Master. "Someone you haven't heard about in a long time saved you all."

"And who is this person, boy?"

"I cannot tell you, she'll butcher my ass if I do." He replied, giving a weak smile. He stood up from his human couch and slashed the air above the bound Dragon Slayer, earning a frightened squirm from the boy. He pointed to the opened rift and nodded to the Fairies. "Listen and listen well. This might be the last time we see each other, so be careful next time."

"What do you mean?" Makarov continued to talk in behalf of his group, casting an inquisitive eye on the Soul Reaper.

"I mean that, gramps, I won't be here next time." He motioned for the rift again. "Take this chance I give you and do your best to not die again."

"Hey, we know you're the ruler among souls, but," Gildarts raised his prosthetic arm to clench his new hand, remembering how he lost his limb and got that replacement. "We got hit by Acnologia's roar. Our bodies probably don't exist anymore, so would we return to the world as souls?"

"That's true, even if I like the idea of going back, I don't want to do it if it will be as a spirit." Lucy muttered in between Cana and Mirajane, both women nodding in agreement.

"I know 10 people that'll not be happy to hear that." Ichigo reminded her of her Celestial Spirits, thus, making her flinch at her comment. He was going to explain why they shouldn't worry about their bodies at all, but it looked like all of them were on a depressed back-talking mood.

"What of the others?" Cana mused about Macao, Wakaba and the other guild members that stayed in Fairy Tail, and how they were reacting to their deaths.

"I don't want to return and watch our funerals with the rest of our friends crying our demise." Erza whispered sadly, remembering the vision she had when she fused with the lacrima at the Tower of Heaven.

"I want to see if I can find my teacher in this place." Gray shouted to the Soul Reaper, turning around to the leave the gathered group, if not because a figure stood in his way.

"O-oe!"

"G-Gray!"

"Gray-sama!" Bickslow, Elfman and Juvia shouted in warning to him, watching the arrival of a new entity that the departing wizard failed to notice.

"I recommend you listen to Kurosaki Ichigo's words and cross the rift, wizard." Byakuya stated sharply with his sword resting close to the Ice Alchemist's throat, the guy too shock to do anything but stare at the new arrival with astonishment. Until he got over his shock and they decided to do a cold-glaring match with each other until Ichigo stepped in between, separating them to avoid a possible confrontation.

"Stop and listen!" Ichigo growled, tired of all the trouble they were causing him. He was giving them the chance to return and they get all sappy and gloomy? Not a wise move in his opinion. "You can go back! Your bodies are fine!"

"How do you know?" Laxus asked him, sitting close to his grandfather.

"I was there when Acno-something hit the island! And I can assure you, your bodies are fine!"

"Why are we here then?" Freed asked curiously. It was his first time in that place, so he didn't know how the Afterlife worked.

"You are all on the verge of death, true death, but not for long," he bit his tongue, the name of their savior in the Living's Realm almost slipped from his mouth. "Someone is taking care of your bodies; she's surely done by now, but to return to life, you must all cross the damn rift!"

"Why are you doing this?" Evergreen asked him with narrowed eyes, not believing Death to be so selfless. There was probably a catch to the entire friendly act, and the second Reaper that appeared threatening the Ice wizard only set her suspicions to the double.

"What's the catch, carrot-top?" Gajeel snarled suspiciously, not liking Death's charity either.

"Hupf agh mgh brt!" Natsu mumbled from his position on the ground, earning several sweatdrops and a dark grin from the Iron Dragon Slayer.

"Like hell, Salamander! I'll be the first to fight him!"

"Hgt wagh!"

"I still don't know how he gets what he's saying…" Lucy sighed, Mira and Lisanna smiling nervously next to her.

"It's an idiot's language!" Happy chirped in at the chance of making fun of his foster father.

"Hgpy!"

"I get nothing from this! I-!" As for Ichigo, he was getting angry. Now they thought he was up to something for helping them? That was understandable, yes, they didn't know him well and, for them, he was Death. And one doesn't make deals with Death, not even in his world. He was going to answer why he was protecting their guild when he felt a presence he hadn't felt in 7 years. Both Byakuya and he looked at one point of the Bridge, completely disregarding the confused and expecting Fairies near them. "You felt that?"

"Yes, the portal is opening." The nobleman sheathed his sword and walked in the anomaly's direction, stopping only to give the Soul Reaper in charge of this dimension a glance that clearly told him to not delay much. "I will go ahead."

"Where is he going?" Lisanna watched the calm and stoic Reaper leave the place through a rift opened with a single hand. She turned to look at Ichigo with confusion; the man looked troubled by the mention of that portal's opening.

"He… he's heading to our world." Everyone's eyes widened at the mention of another world; the world in which the Reapers lived, from where they came. Such a thing even existed?

"Reapers have their own world?" Mirajane asked him, he nodded. "Where is it?"

"You didn't tell me that, boy." Makarov was also confused; among the gathered souls, he was the one with the most knowledge about the Afterlife. But Ichigo never told him he came from another world.

"In another dimension, I come from there." He started to explain. Maybe, the knowledge of his origin would clear any doubts about him lingering in their minds. "My world is not different from this one, except for the lack of actual magic. That's something we only see in books or movies, wizards don't exist in my world…" he pointed a thumb to his chest "…there are only people that have the power to see spirits or souls, if you like it better. They have what I have, that's called Spiritual Power… there are 3 dimensions in my world." He counted with his fingers up. "The Living's Realm, where normal humans live and souls wander. Soul Society, where the purified souls go and can choose between living the Afterlife normally or as Soul Reapers, purifying more souls or killing Hollows. And Hueco Mundo, that's where the Hollows hide, taking shelter in the endless night and desert to avoid being slain by Soul Reapers." He watched the uncertain nods of understanding and continued, wanting to get to the point before an angry blonde came to scold him. "I'm a human with powers that enable me the ability to see ghosts. I've got them from my father's side… he was a Soul Reaper as well, and my mother was a normal human…"

He took the bittersweet time to tell his story as a Soul Reaper to them; going from the death of his mother to the moment he recovered his powers, thanks to the only other Substitute Soul Reaper he ever met. It was a long story that he had to resume, not wanting to delay their or his stay much longer. Many people were expecting them, and so was the same for him.

"When I came here, I was 21," he concluded with the part Makarov knew, his eyes looking around the Bridge one last time before he had to leave to meet with the Soul Reapers coming from his dimension. "I explored Earthland's every corner until I found your guild and stayed close to it, watching over you guys… you remind me a lot about my friends and myself… fighting without a care, protecting those precious to you…" his eyes seemed distant when the image of the ones he hasn't seen in almost a decade and half flashed in his mind, and that was something everyone around him noticed. "Don't tell me that's not reason enough to help you."

"No-!" Gajeel was going to answer so he could fight against the Soul Reaper, but he was stopped by both Mirajane's and Erza's hands. The 2 women were glaring silently to keep his protests down. Couldn't he read the mood?

"Of course, it is more than enough, Ichigo." Makarov answered calmly, Gildartz nodding to his side while Laxus locked eyes with the Soul Reaper to see if he was lying or telling the truth. He still had his doubts. "I believe we all understand now why we had Death on our side and we're grateful for your help."

"Do you always speak for them, gramps?" Ichigo stared at the group and heard their protests, laughing quietly at how riddle up they've gotten by his simple mock. "Okay, sorry, I was messing with you guys."

"So you are from another world?" Evergreen asked.

"Right."

"And you came to explore ours?" Cana followed.

"Pretty much, yeah."

"But you ended up protecting us this whole time?" Laxus also had his own question, mainly because it was hard to believe even if the man's story seemed realistic enough.

"For 14 years, I did just that." Ichigo shrugged, noticing with some relief that they didn't have any more questions to ask him.

But a black cat raised his small paw to call his attention; he seemed to have a question.

"Are you sure it's been 14 years?" Pantherlily asked a bit puzzled, his question letting the presumed miscalculation on the Soul Reaper's part clear to everyone. "You said that when you came here, it was the year x777…"

"I said that, yes, and I wasn't lying." He pointed to the rift that remained open all that time, his eyes resting on the bound down Natsu to free him from the Bakudo and make his point clear. They had to leave to their realm, now. "Go and see for yourselves, what happened in the blink of an eye."

Some left shortly after he gave them the head's up, some others took some time to give a farewell and thank the man properly, but Makarov stayed behind because he knew something was up. And he didn't reach his age for letting life or death matters slide.

What he heard from the Soul Reaper was shocking.

More of them were coming, pretending to expand their authority into Earthland, no matter what the actual habitants had to say about it.

If they had anything to say to an organization made of souls they cannot see or feel.

"I'll do my best, gramps, they won't remain here." Ichigo reassured the old man with his eyes narrowing in determination. He would do whatever it was needed to protect this dimension and those he grew fond of, living in it.

"You included." To Makarov's sharp words, the Soul Reaper nodded gravely.

"When I said that Soul Reapers don't belong to this world, I was adding myself, gramps." He turned his head around to see in the direction of the portal. He knew Byakuya and Soul Society's committee were waiting for him to show up; their Spiritual Pressures were standing still in the same place and from the sudden spikes, they were getting impatient. "It was good while it lasted."

"Go home, boy, and keep your friends and family safe," the old man turned around as well, raising a hand with his index and thumb extended, saying good-bye while walking to the rift that was waiting for him. "As a wizard of Fairy Tail would do."

"Isn't that the same, old man?" With that said, Ichigo saw the rift close.

The last talk was over.

Now he had to make sure it was the last one.

'I hope they make it easy.'

* * *

_Ichigo has traveled for 5 years exploring every little corner of this world and its workings, getting to know its history and secrets, doing the job he was ordered to do with nothing more in his mind that the obligation bestowed upon him._

_Until something caught his attention when he was looking around the last place in the world he needed to explore._

_He saw many guilds in the past, and wizards as well, but this group called his attention._

_"Wanna go at it again, pansy?!"_

_"You're looking for it, huh?!"_

_'Annoying.' He concluded instantly, hovering over the group of wizards brawling in the middle of the room. The fight escalated from a fire wizard and an ice alchemist just glaring at each other, to the entire group of people beating the lights out of everyone inside the place, breaking whatever furniture in their wake. 'Is there no control here?'_

_"Stop, you fools!"_

_'Seems like there is.' He watched calmly how a red-haired woman entered the hall and levelled everyone with her shout, followed closely by another one, this one coming from a short old man that was appalled at the sight of the place looking like a battlefield of sorts._

_"You will all clean this place! Immediately!"_

_'Weird bunch.' He concluded it was like any other place he previously saw; nothing new for him, just another band of reckless wizards enjoying the benefits of their strength over normal people._

_Boy was he wrong._

_He continued to visit the place and its occupants despite his first thoughts of it being a waste of time._

_He witnessed their struggle, their bonds, their resolve and their will to walk forward no matter what evil befell them._

_He didn't notice and a year already passed since he first arrived to what was known as Magnolia._

_A year since he started to watch those brats and their adventures._

_A year since he started to watch over Fairy Tail._

_And it didn't surprise him when he noticed why._

_The guild and its members were a resemblance of Ichigo's own attitude towards life._

_He could easily picture himself doing such things in the same situations._

_'Still…' he would have been happy if they were less destructive and rash when doing their missions, or when they were dealing with everyday tasks. Was there a special need to overdo every little thing they faced? '…I will never understand.'_

_Again, contrary to his own thoughts, he continued to watch them closely._

_This time interfering when he knew they wouldn't be able to get away unscathed from a battle._

_He didn't like it when the trio of siblings lost their little sister, and he didn't want to see another thing like that happening again._

_So he lent his power…_

_To the Take Over wizards._

_To the Gunners duo._

_To the Card Magic user._

_To the Lightning user and his bodyguards, even if they didn't settle well with the rest of the guild._

_To the Fire Dragon Slayer whenever he went overboard._

_To the Ice Alchemist when he took things seriously._

_To the Knight when she still had unresolved businesses with her past._

_To the Celestial Spirit wizard; he had to appear before the Spirit King to ask for direct help._

_To the Master; even if he was already strong, he couldn't do the same as when he was younger._

_Another year passed in less time Ichigo could have noticed._

_And despite his initial thoughts, the annoyance he felt whenever they were in danger again, or the task he was sent to do in Earthland 7 years ago…_

…_he never left their side._

* * *

"Kurosaki Ichigo." Head Captain Yamamoto greeted him sternly, standing before the portal leading to the Dangai and their dimension with Captains Soi Fon, Muguruma, Komamura and Kyoraku flanking his sides a few steps behind. He wasn't amused for having to wait for the young man to make his appearance, even if Captain Kuchiki told him what was delaying the first Soul Reaper of Earthland.

"Gramps." Ichigo greeted in return, standing next to Byakuya, giving the nobleman a nod in gratitude. He was sure the man had something to do with keeping the Head Captain there and not launching a search party for his head.

"Report."

"Where do I start?" The former substitute asked faking trouble to organize his thoughts, shooting quick glances near the portal and the Captains to see how they were keeping it open. He spotted 4 support pods keeping the edges of the anomaly spread and passable, the pods being fed with the present Captains' Spiritual Energy. Kyoraku noticed this but remained quiet; wanting to know what the youngster was planning to do and why. "To resume it, this world is not different from our own."

"Explain further."

"In the World of the Living from which I come, they would be somewhere in the Medieval era…" he explained how he saw many people wearing costumes varying from those times to more modern days, detailing how they used magic to power almost everything and they lived with it during their everyday lives. The organizations they had, how they were classified, the different kinds of magic and lost powers. Everything he knew about Earthland, from dragons to evil wizards was reported.

It all sounded too confusing and unbelievable for the Head Captain and his committee.

Probably because it all sounded like something pulled together from different fantasy books into one.

Luckily, Byakuya, who was known for not staining his honor with lies, confirmed each and every one of Ichigo's findings in Earthland with his own reports; which helped them to give credibility to the reports… in a narrowed way.

But now that the debriefing was over, the hardest part was going to start…

"This world never saw Soul Reapers or Hollows, and it has a system that works to cover that."

…the moment to decide if Earthland will continue the way it was or change forever.

"And what do you have to say about it?" The Head Captain asked with squinted eyes, feeling the seriousness in the young man and foretelling what he was thinking. The others had a mild idea of what was about to happen.

"I say we leave this world, return to our own and close the portal…" Ichigo strengthened his resolve; this was for a greater good. "…forever."

He wasn't surprised when everyone around, except for the man next to him and the Head Captain, made an astonished expression.

Or the sudden rise in Spiritual Pressure over him.

"Soul Society owes you, Kurosaki Ichigo." Yamamoto gave a hard step forward, his power fighting against the former substitute's, who was now having troubles to keep himself floating in the air. His voice was filled with disbelief and his eyes wide open to glare at the man in charge of this dimension. "But do not push your luck. Soul Reapers will establish themselves in this new world. No matter what you say, your concern for Hollows is unfounded; Soul Reapers will make sure they do not taint this world as in our realm."

"Y-you and I both know that's a lie!" Ichigo stood his ground and glared. He would rather die than fail to accomplish what he promised to those he cares about. "Our world sees Hollows everyday and Soul Reapers are not enough to keep souls or people like me from being eaten!"

"This realm holds only one entrance, Kurosaki." Yamamoto said annoyed. He gave another step and even if he was trying to negotiate, his power continued to pour restlessly over the orange-haired man. "There will be guards posted close to it, if that's what worries you."

"And what if someone like Aizen or worse tries anything?" Ichigo knew beforehand just how the Head Captain and Soul Society dealt with problems. "Will you send a Captain or a Division to guard this world?!"

"Those matters are of no relevance to you, Kurosaki!" The old man raised his gruff and now angered voice, shutting the youngster's mouth and protests. "Soul Society will move in and settle into this world, regardless of your position as this world's main authority and your opposition to our final decision."

"Yama-jii…" Kyoraku tried to intercede but he was silenced by the pressure as well. He couldn't force the pressure off of him, even if he wanted to. He had to concentrate most of his own Spiritual Power on the pod keeping the portal open.

"T-this…! I-is…!" Ichigo slowly reached for Zangetsu on his back, hunching even more when the old man put more pressure on his shoulders. He grabbed the handle and unsheathed it in one swift motion, feeling his power going up thanks to his spirit's help. "T-this IS of my concern!"

He was going to prepare himself for the unavoidable fight by calling forth his Bankai, but the appearance of someone next to him brought him to a stop. Even the Head Captain lowered his power when the new presence made itself known, stepping in between its friend and those coming to claim what was not theirs.

"Stand down and be kind enough to listen to me." Mavis said gently to the gathered people, her eyes locking with the Head Captain's wide eyes. The power behind hers alone proved to them she was not someone they could mess with, despite her innocent form. "What your comrade says is true."

"Who is this soul, Kurosaki? And why hasn't it being cleansed?" Yamamoto recomposed himself and went back to normal, curious of this little girl standing before him with such a significant power around her.

"M-Mavis, I told you not to interfere!" Ichigo was not happy to see her at the moment, even if she stopped the old man and himself from fighting.

"She's a soul bound to one of those organizations called 'Guild' in this world," Byakuya explained, he stood aside the banter most of the time, wanting to see how Kurosaki dealt with the problem by himself. "She cannot be cleansed, no matter the strength or the experience of the Soul Reaper that tries to."

"Is that so?" Yamamoto raised one of his long eyebrows at the information. He never heard of bound souls that couldn't be cleansed in all his time as a Soul Reaper.

"Your 2 subordinates tried many times," the blonde commented nonchalantly, tilting her head to a side with her eyes still fixed on the older soul. "You can try as well if my presence is a bother to you."

"Do not be so arrogant, girl." That one sentence she said made his annoyance return. The Head Captain could feel she had a great power within her, but it was still too young to do any real harm to him or to be cocky about, especially when she was getting in the middle of a conversation that was supposed to be of no concern to her. "And leave this place; this matter concerns Soul Reapers, not wandering souls."

"Oh, but it does concerns me, you see." She stepped forward and floated to be at eye-level with the oldest soul she has ever seen. "Your presence alone is already making changes in this world."

"My power alone is keeping the world from collapsing as we speak." Another entity let itself be known. Its towering presence calling the attention of everyone gathered. "Your presences are not welcomed, Reapers. Leave now before an irreparable damage is done and the balance shatters."

Ichigo noticed then, the clouds around them, the trees below…

…time was stopped.

"…" Yamamoto could feel the power emanating from this humongous new presence. He stared at it with the rest of his forces, expecting for it to talk again. Now 2 souls from this world, besides the Soul Reaper in charge, were telling him that the dimension was in danger of collapsing because of their presences. It was not a matter he could ignore anymore.

"If the flow of time restarts its motion, Reapers, everything will disappear in an endless void." The Spirit King bellowed with his power now felt around the smaller beings; he was truly keeping the dimension in place. "What your young subordinate and this girl are saying is true. Our world is already suffering changes from the energy that portal, your Reapers and you yourself are leaking. As we speak, it is barely holding itself together."

'So I was… right?' Ichigo knew something bad would happen to Earthland if more Soul Reapers came. But to the extent where time itself needed to be stopped to avoid the world's destruction?

"I order you and your kin to leave this dimension and return from where you came, old Reaper." To his words, the rest of the Celestial Spirits came, all looking ready to fight if necessary to protect their dimension. The Captains prepared themselves as well, expecting to hear from their leader if they had to attack or retreat. "Avoid such foolishness as fighting against enemies you know nothing about and leave now with your servants in peace."

"Genryuusai-dono." Komamura eyed the spirits around them, not liking the idea to start a fight when they all needed to focus their energies on the portal's pods.

"They are more and unknown; fighting will be stupid of us." Kensei had his hand pressed tightly around his sword's hilt, keeping an attentive eye around in case they tried a sneak attack.

"Yama-jii, listen this time, okay?" Kyoraku, now with the pressure of his mentor off his back, tried to reason with him. One didn't need to have an intellect like his own to know a conflict was not the best course of action right now. "Kurosaki-kun is right after all, our presence is only endangering this new world, we cannot continue if our decision will put it and us in danger."

If Earthland collapses because of their presences and with them inside, forget about going back to Soul Society or even hoping to continue alive.

"I cannot accept this, but they are right, we cannot fight in this condition." Soi Fon glared at the presences that dared to go against them, but relented to reason. Destroying another dimension was not what the 13 Divisions were made for.

"Head Captain." Byakuya Flash Stepped in position to leave through the portal and guard the group's back. "Kurosaki Ichigo is right. Not hearing his request when not only him but the spirits of this world had made clear that our presence is harmful would be a bad decision."

"Come on, gramps." Ichigo walked carefully to stand in front of the old man and next to Mavis, hearing him grunting absentmindedly to acknowledge his presence. He was in deep thinking. "Not a single Soul Reaper will stay. I want to go home too, with my family and friends, and I'm sure Byakuya wants to see what Renji made of their Division while he was gone."

The nobleman gave a small nod in answer. It was true. He wanted to see what his Lieutenant did of the 6th Division during his 7 years of absence.

"If you do not want to leave in peaceful terms," the Spirit King uncrossed his arms, signaling the group at his command to get ready. "We will give you the fight you are looking for."

"Yama-jii."

"Head Captain."

"Gramps."

* * *

_3 months later…_

"Yay! Go Fairy Tail!" Mavis cheered for the members of Team A and B, sitting calmly over the railing separating the arena from the spectators. Her reappearance shocked the members of her guild standing behind her.

"F-first! What are you doing here?!" Makarov asked, looking around to see if anyone else could see her. For what it seemed, only the members of the guild could see her.

"I'm here to cheer for our guild! Why? Is there something wrong?" She pouted cutely, faking a few tears to scare the sixth Master and the others listening to her. After receiving several negatives, she changed her expression to a serious one and jerked her head forward, remembering her other reason for being there. "Besides, I'm not cheering alone, I'm doing it for a good friend's stead as well."

"W-what do you mean?" The sixth Master questioned, curious to know about this friend of hers.

"You'll remember him when you see what he left as a good-bye gift for us!" She yelled and pointed to the sky, jumping to stand over the railing before going back to her previous position.

"A-and," obviously, he almost had a heart-attack when she gave that ear piercing shriek. "What did 'he' give us?

"Oh, you'll see when the games start!" And she was back to her usual cheerfulness.

Her mood swings were making the group around her nervous.

But the games started, and as she said, they were witnesses to what she was talking about.

Juvia and Gray were first.

"First…?" Makarov and some others tried to call her attention when they saw something weird on the screens showing the game of Hidden from closer captions. There was a black crescent moon tattoo on the back of both Juvia's and Gray's left hands. "I-is that what you were talking about?"

"Yes." Mavis watched calmly as the other participants of the game took notice of their wizards' presences with those unique tattoos, and tried to attack them. Only for Gray and Juvia to disappear in the sound of a whisper and reappear a few paces away.

Everyone went silent when that happened.

"W-what was that?" Gray asked aloud, exchanging glances between the tattoo and his legs until something clicked in his mind. 'W-why does it… feel…so familiar?' He shook his head and focused on the game, seeing Juvia on the screen doing the same. "I don't know what's going on, but I will take advantage of it!"

The game ended with Gray and Juvia winning 7 points each for their teams.

They didn't want to lay a hand on the other.

Next was Lucy vs. Flare Corona from Raven Tail…

"Hey, blondie?" Flare stared at the Fairy Tail wizard standing shakily a few metres away, seeing the same weird tattoo appearing in the back of her left hand. She remembered what happened during the game of Hidden and how Narpuding and the other wizards were defeated by the water woman and the ice boy with that sudden rise in speed. "You think moving faster will help you?"

"First. It is happening again." Makarov muttered to the small girl, watching how she seemed thoughtful again. "And I don't think speed will be enough to help Lucy now."

"His gift was not only his incredible speed, Sixth." She answered with her eyes fixed on the battle and the blond girl.

Makarov only nodded dumbly. She still didn't tell him who left those powers for Fairy Tail's use and he couldn't remember anyone having that kind of speed, but he was grateful, those gifts were turning the tables to their favor. And now, Lucy was about to show another of those gifts to them.

Everyone narrowed their eyes to see the screens better when they saw the blonde's mouth moving slowly.

But Mavis was able to see it with her own eyes, without needing the screens over the arena or her eyes partly closed to discern what was going on.

Lucy was chanting.

"Carriage of thunder, bridge of a spinning wheel." The Celestial Spirit wizard didn't know from where the words were coming, she never even heard them before but it looked like they were in her mind all along; in a corner she couldn't help but feel familiar with in a way. She even knew what to do next. Her arm raised and she pointed her index finger to Flare. "With light, divide this into six! Bakudō #61. Rikujōkōrō!"

6 sparks of yellow energy shot out from Lucy's finger and chased after the dodging Raven Tail wizard, one of them hitting her on the waist and stopping her long enough to let the other 5 complete her imprisonment.

Flare tried to break the spell holding her but found out with utter shock that she couldn't even move the parts of her body that were not touched by the thin rods of light. "W-what is this?!"

The Raven Tail woman tried fruitlessly to break free from her bindings for 5 minutes, until a strong beeping sound echoed in the arena.

"W-we don't know what happened, but the result of the match is clear!" The announcer's voice echoed in the quiet stadium, startling everyone back to reality. "Fairy Tail's A, Lucy Heartfilia wins the match! 10 points for them!"

And the last match of the day, Mystogan vs. Jura Nekis from Lamia Scale…

'This battle is going downhill,' Gerard thought grimly, looking at Jura standing tall after the small exchange of spells they had. He would have to resort to that, even if there was a possibility of his identity being discovered for using it. 'I must win, for them, for her.'

"Now, let's see if he manages to control this." Mavis talked again after staying silent for a long time, calling Makarov's attention and of those around her. "_He_ told me that I could try to use it on him."

"He's not a member of our guild, are you sure it will work?" The blonde girl tilted her head and smiled down to the old man.

"He might not be a member of Fairy Tail, but he's a friend of _him_!" She informed cheerfully, turning her eyes to the fight and getting serious again, concentrating on the power she had to give again.

'You still didn't tell me who _he_ is, First.' Makarov sighed deeply, keeping his thoughts to himself and continuing to see reluctantly this weird show of new powers.

"W-what's this?" Gerard felt something on the back of his hand, and indeed, just as he saw that it happened with the others, he had the black crescent moon tattoo and a sudden surge of power running through his being.

As well as something else…

_'Hey there!'_ A warm-boisterous voice that sounded familiar echoed in his mind, making him stop to listen to it. _'Seems you're all better now!'_

'Who are you?' The wizard asked carefully. The last time he had a voice talking inside his head, he built a tower to revive a dark wizard and almost offered the woman he loves as a sacrifice. 'Are you the one helping Fairy Tail?'

_'So you don't remember me, huh? Well, don't blame your amnesia for it; you'll surely remember me later.'_ The voice seemed to be in a hurry. The words it was saying sounded recorded in the guy's opinion. So, it wasn't going to answer his questions, it was just trying to leave a message for him to hear. _'Listen, I left most of my abilities available to you, since you look like a nice guy and the kind that can adapt quickly to new styles. So… use them well.'_

'…I will.' Gerard felt a strange gratitude towards the voice, but he still couldn't tell why, or how the voice knew him.

_'Oh, and try not to do any more crazy stuff, okay? If not, Erza won't forgive you, and _she_ won't allow you to use my powers again.'_

The man quirked an eyebrow at that last part.

The voice knew of his affections for the Knight?

And who was _she_? About whom was the voice talking? Was it someone from Fairy Tail?

Could the voice be talking about Erza again?

_'Look after those you care about, and remember! No more crazy stuff!' _The voice stood silent for a moment before groaning. _'I said that already, dammit!'_

'I will do as you say and try to not do any more crazy stuff.' Since the voice didn't say anything else, he returned his attention to the battle in front of him. Jura didn't move an inch after seeing the crescent moon tattoo appear, surely expecting to see what new abilities the strange mark will grant to the Fairy Tail wizard.

Will it be increased speed? An unknown spell?

"Sorry to keep you waiting," Gerard spread his legs and stood ready to continue, power coursing through his body and new abilities he haven't seen in his entire life flashing in his mind. He could now fight and keep his identity a secret. "I was… trying to adapt to this new power."

"Is that new power a spell from your guild?" Jura asked warily, wanting to know more about the black tattoo.

"Truthfully, I don't know." He narrowed his eyes. 'If it is, then I should not be able to use it.' "But I will see its capabilities now."

"So he can use it too?" Natsu mumbled under his breath, frowning slightly. Everyone was getting a chance to use those awesome powers while he has to wait for a chance himself? That was not fair!

"Seems like he can." Gray answered, watching the mark with curiosity. When he received it, he felt a familiar power inside of him, and a strange memory telling him how to use that increased speed.

"I thought it was for Fairy Tail wizards only." Lucy was still trying to discern what happened in her fight. She remembered the mark appearing on her hand and the next second, a strange chant came to her mind and out of her mouth, giving her victory without having to finish off her opponent.

"Whatever it is, it seems like even _he_ can use it." Erza told her thoughts to the others, not saying Gerard's name out loud for fear of someone hearing her. The mark was strange. At first, she thought it was like the other lost spells from her guild, but if it could be used by those not belonging to Fairy Tail, then the case was another one altogether.

Back to the fight…

"Come; let me see what it does." Jura stood defensively and ready to see what other abilities the tattoo could give, all the experienced fighters in the stadium keeping their eyes glued on the cloaked man from Fairy Tail.

"As you wish." Gerard disappeared at the sound of a whisper, but this time, his body could be discerned in between the changes in his movements, showing his location to everyone despite the incredible speed. Still, it was so fast that it looked like he was all over the place, afterimages of his form confusing the Wizard Saint and forcing him to wait for a moment to strike. 'I need to get use to the speed first, and then move to the offensive.'

"First, can you tell me who left this strange magic in our power?" Makarov was surprised by the abilities Mystogan was using to fight against Jura. Increased speed, unknown spells that ranged from strange bindings to blazing blue-fire balls and huge black boxes with spears, a huge sword… "What's with that sword?!"

Everyone stopped and stared at the sword floating horizontally before Mystogan, even the man himself stopped his running to see it. It was a cleaver-like sword with a cloth wrapped around it. It was leaking a power of its own that was beyond the imagination of anyone present.

"T-that sword…" Natsu watched it with wide eyes, rubbing his forehead instinctively; he didn't notice that his next words escaped from the mouth of all of the members of his guild at the same time. "…I have seen it before."

Everyone, from the 2 teams to the members watching from the public stands eyed the blade with a feeling resembling gratitude. Not understanding why, but thanking the sword for something it did in the past for them.

"That sword holds the power capable of killing a god." Mavis commented with her eyes fixed on the blade, her words shocking the people around her and drawing more of their attention to the object floating in front of Mystogan. "If _he_ let it come out, then, _he_ trusts this man."

The sword glowed blue for a second and later, its wrappings untangled themselves in front of Gerard. The sword was positioning itself to let the hilt at the man's grasp to try and take it.

The cloaked figure stared at it and then moved a tentative hand to reach for the hilt, a strange pulse from the blade calling for him.

_'Abandon your fears.'_

"What is he doing?" Outside the city, in a cliff close to the stadium where the games were held, Ultear asked her question to the pink-haired girl sitting next to her. Meredy shook her head and gave a blank stare as an answer.

_'Look forward.'_

"Jura! Don't let him take that sword!" Lyon yelled from Lamia's team balcony. He had a bad feeling about the strange artifact, and it was enough to warn his strong teammate out of worry for him.

_'Move forward and never stop.'_

'That voice again…' Gerard recognized the voice as the one that spoke to him when the mark appeared on his hand. But this time it was encompassed with an older voice, a voice that held a deep wisdom in it.

_'You'll age if you pull back…'_ He finally grasped the sword in his hand, feeling even more power pouring inside of him and letting a blue aura surround him, to everyone's astonishment. _'…you'll die if you hesitate.'_

The energy continued to surge through him, letting more memories flow inside of him until it stopped and he stood tall with the sword in his hand.

'_Speak my name! And bear witness of true power!'_

The voices gave one final shout and faded from his head, the aura gone along with them, but he could still feel the mysteriously familiar energy coming out of the blade.

He was going to try its abilities with Jura and win the match for Fairy Tail…

"So _he_ accepted you, huh?"

…but that voice he heard inside his head spoke again, this time to his side.

Turning his head to see, he came to face an orange-haired man wearing black garments, a red strap across his chest showing from where the sword came and to whom it belong. "To be honest, I didn't think it would work, after all, that's only a portion of my power." He smiled approvingly to him. "But if it worked with you, then the others won't have a problem."

"W-who is he?" The wizards from Fairy Tail and the rest of the stadium all but shouted at the new arrival, not knowing how that man appeared in the middle of the battlefield and who he was.

"P-participant Mystogan from Fairy Tail grabbed the sword that appeared out of nowhere and now a strange man shows itself in the arena! What's this bizarre chain of events?!" The announcer, who was shocked as the others, kept on doing his job.

"Y-you…" Gerard whispered in a daze, recognizing the man from somewhere. "…I know you, don't I?"

"Yeah, you do." Ichigo snorted at the confused faces he was receiving, looking around to see everything. "So they can see me now, huh?" He tilted his head down, shoving his hands inside his pockets. "That's good."

"D-does anyone else...?" Mirajane started the question but couldn't get the strength to finish it. Either way, the others knew what she was going to ask, if Laxus', Gajeel's and Juvia's nods in answer meant anything.

"That man," Erza narrowed her wide eyes to see the orange-haired man better, her teammates doing the same next to her. "I believe I… know him from somewhere."

"First, is he the one you were speaking about?" Makarov looked at the young man with a raised eyebrow. Something was telling him that he was like any other member of his guild.

"Yes, he is." Mavis nodded, but she did not show a cheerful expression this time. "But he's not, at the same time."

"What do you mean?" Was there an end to the mysterious answers and dodging questions?

"I will explain after the day is over." Seems like there will be.

"Thanks for lending me your sword… and your abilities." Gerard called Ichigo's attention, giving a determined nod to the black-clothed man. "I will make good use of them."

"Yeah, I'm sure you will." Ichigo smirked and turned to the stands. "Anyway, I'm not here to chat, I'm here to see how you fair with them." Before anyone could notice, the man was sitting next to Mavis on the railings in front of the Fairy Tail crowd, grinning openly with his arms crossed over his chest. "Show me a good battle!"

"I will do my best."

* * *

_Later that night…_

"First, can you now explain to us who this young man is?" Makarov asked anxiously with the rest of the guild behind him; all of them staring at the tall figure sitting on a stool of the bar with a permanent scowl in his face.

The day was a success for them. They were at the top of the board and with great advantage over the rest of the teams and guilds. A great return from the former strongest guild in Fiore. But now they wanted to know about the cause of such victories, the one to give them the powers that won those battles and events.

And so, they were eyeing the Founder of their guild and her friend with obvious curiosity, which annoyed the orange-haired man in black garments and earned a small laugh from the blonde sitting next to him.

"Can you stop your staring? I'm not a book or something you can read with your eyes!" He made his point clear by grabbing hold of the sword in his back, his scowl softening when he saw them nervously redirect their eyes to other points of interest inside the room. "That's better."

"Don't be so childish, Ichigo, they are only curious." Mavis said cheerfully, waving her hands around.

'Look who's talking…' Luckily, she didn't notice the collective sweatdrop her words received or she would have cried.

But it was quickly forgotten when the name she mentioned clicked something in the assembled wizards' minds.

They heard it before.

"I-Ichigo?" Some hollowed whispers were heard, and some foreheads were rubbed by their owners.

Again, that feeling of gratitude came from somewhere deep inside their minds and hearts.

"It looks like you still don't remember," Ichigo frowned at the setback, but shrugged nonetheless. He knew it was to be expected, so he didn't get his hopes high. "Ah, doesn't matter. There's a lot of time for that…"

"What do you mean?" Makarov, having recovered slightly faster than the rest, asked to the young man. Something was pushing his mind to get answers.

"You'll all know when the time's right," Ichigo got up from his seat and walked to the exit, his movements being followed closely by those inside the room. "Mavis can explain a bit if you have questions. I'm going to do some sightseeing."

And he left.

"First Master, forgive me but, who is that man?" Erza crossed her arms and tried to force the answer from the depths of her mind. She had a feeling she knew him, and that he helped her a lot in the past. But the answer wouldn't appear even if she concentrated on getting it. "Why does it feel like we know him?"

"Oh, that's because you do." Mavis hopped off the stool and walked to stand on a table surrounded by the members of her guild, intently watching and listening to her. "He was the one to save all of you from Death, many times, even if his job was exactly the contrary."

"F-from Death itself?" Lucy repeated what she heard, thinking that her friends and her might have heard wrong.

Mavis nodded and continued with her story, passing back and forth on the table with her eyes focused ahead.

She began to tell them who the man was.

And what did he do for them all.

* * *

_In another place…_

_Or dimension…_

_3 months ago…_

"Kurosaki-san~!" Kisuke Urahara yelled brightly to the sky, lunging to tackle-hug his former student after not seeing him for 14 years. "You're back~!"

"Yeah, I am." Ichigo answered plainly to the shopkeeper, halting his lunge with a kick to his face. After the scolding Byakuya and he received from the Head Captain, he was not in the mood of tolerating the blond man and his antics. Not even if he hasn't seen him in a long time and truly missed him. He looked around the room and saw that almost nothing changed inside the small shop, except for Tessai's haircut and that Ururu and Jinta looked older. "How're you all doing?"

"We're fine, Kurosaki-san," The tall man, with an even weirder moustache and haircut on his face and head, answered with a polite bow. "Thank you for asking."

"W-we're fine, Kurosaki-san." Ururu was still shy even if she grew older. "W-welcome back."

"We were fine until you came back, punk." Jinta still had that arrogant attitude.

Despite the groaning Urahara, the fighting Jinta and Ururu, and the weeping Tessai (who Ichigo couldn't tell why he was crying for), the Soul Reaper smiled.

He returned home; to his home in his dimension, where all the people he knows are.

"I'm glad." The orange-haired walked forward and picked the man he previously kicked from the ground, narrowing his eyes at his fake tears and cries about how cruel Ichigo still was. "Where's my body, Getaboushi? It's been a long time and I want to see how my friends and family are doing..."

The shopkeeper turned back to his annoying easygoing attitude and led the way to the back of the store, where Kurosaki's body was kept sealed and protected from anyone that could try to do something with it.

It came as no surprise when Ichigo saw his own body lying motionlessly inside a tank with seals all over; he was expecting something like that.

But he was not expecting what he saw on the back of his body when Urahara pulled it out and laid it on a nearby table.

"Now this is strange." The blond man commented with his eyes inspecting the black mark on the back of the young man's body. "Do you have something to say… Kurosaki… san?" He was curious to know so he turned to see his former student with questions ready, but stopped himself. He was too shocked of what was in the face of the man to say something.

Ichigo was smiling.

And not his usual smile with a scowl.

No.

He was smiling like any normal person would.

"This thing…" the orange-haired man whispered fondly, tracing the black mark's outlining with his fingers. He didn't expect to see the mark on his body. He believed it disappeared after he crossed the portal back to this dimension. How did it even reached his body before he got back inside of it? "…why is this here?"

"K-Kurosaki-san…?" Urahara found the strength to talk again. He looked at the mark and began to think where he saw something like that or close to that in his life, not coming with an answer this time. It looked like a creature, a small creature with wings and a tail. But it was something that surely existed in the dimension his former student resided for the last decade and a half. "What is that?"

"That's a fairy, Urahara-san..." Ichigo's smile widened. He had a lot of time to wonder how the marking came to his world and body before him; a lot of time to be thankful for it.

"Mind to explain further?" The blond raised an eyebrow in wonder. A fairy? Like the ones from the fantasy books he used to read when he was learning more about the World of the Living? The Soul Reaper found actual fairies in the other dimension?

"Sure..." Ichigo sat at the edge of the table, positioning himself to enter his body again after years of not doing such thing. "…but it will be a long story."

"We have all the time in the world, Ichigo."

* * *

_Actual time…_

_Back in Earthland…_

"Weren't you going to do some sightseeing, Ichigo?" Mavis asked to the Soul Reaper standing in the air, above the building where Fairy Tail was staying, chuckling; amused at the sight of his pissed off face after being inside the building explaining his story to the guild.

"You told them too much, Mavis," Ichigo crossed his arms and faced the city around them. "No wonder they're all pained from the memories."

"They'll be fine by the morning." She waved his complaints and floated to see the same things he was seeing. "It's such a shame you couldn't stay."

"True, but I had my friends waiting at the other side," he moved a hand to scratch the back of his head. "Anyone would have done the same in my place."

"Uh-huh, that's certain." She floated to another building, being closely followed by the man. "Still, it's good to have you here with us… in a way."

"I can't truly believe it." Ichigo raised his hands and looked at them with narrowed eyes. He spotted a pole on the next building and he floated closer to it to try and grab it only to see his hand pass right through it. He sighed. "Guess… it's not that good in the end."

"You're his essence, a part of his soul, what else did you expect?" Mavis didn't see what he tried to do, but knew what he was talking about. They floated to another building. "You can do as much as I can, Ichigo. Be thankful."

"Yeah, you're right." He continued to follow her lead, watching with his hands inside his pockets at what the habitants of Crocus did during the night. A doubt flashed in his mind. "How long will the lacrima last?"

"The power he left inside of it is more than enough," she explained, diverting her attention to several people on the streets that were talking about the matches of that day. "It should be able to replenish itself constantly to be used for eons. Nonetheless, I won't give its' abilities to our friends during the whole tournament, I will only share it when they're in need of such powers."

"That's good and all… but, if it replenishes constantly… I will stay here indefinitely?" She nodded at his question. That wasn't so bad in his opinion, but… "What about you?"

"I will remain here for as long as Fairy Tail exists," she looked over her shoulder to give him a bright smile, easing his worries. "So you will not get rid of me for a loooooong time!"

"That's just great…" He scoffed and turned to see other parts of the city, hiding his relieved smile from her. He didn't want to have her teasing him throughout the night for something this stupid.

He was scared to the bones when, 3 months ago, the Head Captain remained quiet at the Spirit King's threats. He could already imagine a big fight for something that wouldn't end well for this world or them. But he was shocked, as everyone else, when the old man turned back on his feet and gave the order of retreat to the people at his command; telling the spirits of that dimension that he will have the portal sealed from the other side to avoid disrupting Earthland's balance again.

Ichigo was relieved after hearing that, and happy to go back to see the faces he only held in his memories.

Though, he was also sad for not being able to see the faces he grew accustomed to see in this world.

So he thought of a plan, together with Mavis, to keep on aiding the wizards he has been protecting in the last 14 years.

A lacrima was filled with a quarter of his power, enough to give a normal Soul Reaper a stand against a Captain-class enemy from his dimension, and left it at the care of the blonde girl.

She was to keep it hidden in Tenrou Island and be the judge of those calling for the powers and abilities it contains before doing such a thing as granting his gift to someone who wasn't worthy of it.

It was a good plan to keep on helping those annoying brats.

But they didn't expect to see the lacrima materializing the Soul Reaper's essence after the original one left the dimension.

That was a miscalculation on their part.

A welcomed miscalculation.

He could help and still continue to see them…

…well, his essence would be able to do it.

And that wasn't bad in their opinion.

In fact, for Ichigo…

"…that's great."

**The End.**

* * *

**(A/N: What can I say? I really loved this ending, I hope you did as well. The story is over... or at least this one is. There's two more in mind and I'm planning to write them when I have the chance. One of them is half written so, don't worry, you'll read it shortly. *nods*  
**

**I would like to thank Epic Ebi again for his beta-reading skills and advices. They were priceless and made this story the very best for all of you. Check out his stories if you can, I'm sure you won't be disappointed. Not at all.  
**

**Something else: If you have any questions regarding the story, about something you did not understand, you can always ask. I'll be glad to answer any questions you have.  
**

**And now, time for me to leave. I hope to have the next story ready before the end of the year, since 2013 looks pretty busy for me.  
**

**See you in the next update.  
**

**Saludos.)  
**


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